SECRETARY-GENERAL STRESSES MULTILATERAL COOPERATION TO HELP AFRICA'S QUEST FOR PEACEFUL, SUSTAINABLE PATH TO DEVELOPMENT

30 November 1998

Press Release
SG/SM/6811
SEA/1611

SECRETARY-GENERAL STRESSES MULTILATERAL COOPERATION TO HELP AFRICA'S QUEST FOR PEACEFUL, SUSTAINABLE PATH TO DEVELOPMENT

19981130 In Message to South African Conference on Protection of Marine Environment in Sub-Saharan Africa, Delivered by UNEP Executive Director

Following is a message from Secretary-General Kofi Annan to the Advisory Committee on Protection of the Sea (ACOPS)/South African Government Conference on Cooperation for the Development and Protection of the Coastal and Marine Environment in Sub-Saharan Africa, which was delivered on his behalf by the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Klaus Toepfer, in Cape Town today:

It gives me great pleasure to convey my greetings and best wishes to this Conference, which addresses a key issue on the regional and global agenda. The Government and people of South Africa merit our gratitude for making possible this important contribution to sustainable development in Africa and to our observance, throughout 1998, of the United Nations International Year of the Ocean.

This gathering continues the momentum generated by the Pan African Conference on Sustainable Integrated Coastal Management (PACSICOM) held earlier this year in Maputo and, as such, offers a unique opportunity for Africa and its partners in the international community to discuss ways of addressing a situation that must, by now, be considered an emerging crisis.

Indeed, the deteriorating state of the world's oceans was among the primary concerns that led to the first United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, in Stockholm in 1972, and then to the establishment of UNEP. In 1973, a programme was designed that would tackle the threats to the marine environment -- sea and land-based alike -- through a regional approach. Today, of the 14 regions covered worldwide by UNEP's Regional Seas Programme, four relate to the seas surrounding Africa.

The Programme is being updated and restructured to take into account the landmark Earth Summit of 1992, which moved global understanding of environmental issues from a sectoral to a comprehensive basis. Still, the

regional approach remains valid. The Nairobi and Abidjan Conventions on the Coastal and Marine Environment work from this perspective, and a range of other instruments and plans call for and rely on regional cooperation as an essential ingredient.

Your deliberations in Cape Town should also be seen in the context of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Since the Convention entered into force in 1994, most of its institutions have been put in place, including the International Seabed Authority in Jamaica and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in Germany. Several countries have enacted laws and established institutions for the management of ocean space under their jurisdiction and are initiating programmes for the sustainable development of their coastal zones. African participation in these global developments is vital and it is my hope that this Conference will focus on ways of accelerating this process.

This Conference also occurs at a time when the global community is paying greater attention to Africa's prospects. In September, the Security Council held a second ministerial meeting devoted solely to Africa. In October, Japan hosted the second Tokyo International Conference for African Development (TICAD II). The United Nations system, for its part, is intensifying its efforts to implement the New Agenda for the Development of Africa through its implementing arm, the System-wide Special Initiative on Africa. Most important of all, many African countries are undertaking bold economic and political reforms so as to create more hopeful climates for growth and long-term investment.

Threats to the coastal and marine environment are among the many environment challenges facing Africa. Conflict, refugee flows and persistent poverty exacerbate these problems and are an obstacle to their solution. Africa is not alone in its quest for a peaceful, sustainable path of development, but to get there we must take multilateral cooperation to a new level. This Conference is an important step in that direction, and the United Nations will continue to be your close partner. In that spirit, please accept my best wishes for success.

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