AFRICAN MINISTERS SET GOAL OF $11 MILLION OVER FIVE YEARS FOR ENVIRONMENT TRUST FUND

Press Release
ENV/DEV/458

AFRICAN MINISTERS SET GOAL OF $11 MILLION OVER FIVE YEARS FOR ENVIRONMENT TRUST FUND

NAIROBI, 15 December (UNEP) -- African governments represented at the seventh session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment have set a goal of $11 million over the next five years for a Trust Fund for the Environment. Meeting from 24 to 28 November in Dakar, Senegal, representatives of 40 governments agreed on contribution quotas which will ensure adequate and predictable financial resources for the region's environmental agenda.

Once the Fund has reached $11 million, it is estimated that it will generate an annual interest of $1.2 million to support the programmes of the Conference and its secretariat. The Fund has already reached almost $1 million, with contributions from seven countries.

Agreement was reached on a draft constitution and rules of procedures that give the Conference legal status to provide more effective leadership on environmental matters in the region. That new status pinpoints its work in environment and sustainable development in three main areas: harmonization and coordination of policy, in collaboration with governments, non-governmental organizations and the private sector; facilitating awareness-raising, consensus-building and common positions; and enhancing Africa's participation in global dialogue and environmental action.

The Conference also discussed environment and sustainable agriculture. As Africa strives to increase agricultural production and improve food security, the linkages between agriculture, population and environment should be reflected in national action plans.

The Conference called on those countries which have not yet done so to ratify the various international conventions and protocols dealing with the ozone layer, hazardous wastes, biological diversity, endangered species and wildlife, and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The Conference aims to raise public awareness on the conventions and promote their implementation.

The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification is of major concern to Africa. Although many countries in the region have signed it, implementation of the decisions of its first Conference of the Parties has

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lagged behind. The Conference called for renewed efforts by governments to implement those decisions, including the elaboration of national, subregional and regional action plans. The Conference added sustainable development and the equitable management and use of freshwater resources to its list of priorities in its programme for the next biennium.

For more information, please contact: James Kamara, Programme Officer, UNEP/Regional Office for Africa, Nairobi (tel: 254-2-624288; fax: 254-2- 623928) or Richard Lumbe, Information Officer, UNEP/Regional Office for Africa, Nairobi (tel: 254-2-623181; fax: 254-2-623928.

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