Savanna Wildlife

“Illegal Hunting and the Bush-Meat Trade in Savanna Africa: Drivers, Impacts and Solutions to Address the Problem" confirms a greater frequency and impact on wildlife populations in the Southern and Eastern savannas of Africa than previously thought. The report also adds to elements  of related agenda points considered during CBD/COP-11 with new data from experts.

Declaration: Global Framework on Climate Services

The African Union Commission (AUC), African regional economic communities and Secretariat of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) have declared their support for the Global Framework on Climate Services (GFCS), a UN initiative spearheaded by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) which aims to strengthen and expand the provision of climate services.

The Addis Ababa Declaration of Support for the Global Framework on Climate (GFCS) recognizes that the GFCS will, among other things:
- enable better management of the risks of climate variability and change;
- help African institutions gain better access to knowledge and technologies for climate monitoring, prediction and projection; and
- facilitate synergies and harmonization between existing and upcoming climate-related projects in Africa.

COMIFAC: Wildlife Law

The Central Africa Forest Commission (COMIFAC) has agreed on a Regional Action Plan for Strengthening National Wildlife Law Implementation for 2012-2016. The plan consists of four elements:
- cooperation and collaboration among relevant wildlife law enforcement and prosecution authorities;
- investigations at key border and transit points, domestic markets and transboundary areas;
- effective deterrents and prosecutions; and
- awareness of illegal wildlife trade issues.

The Action Plan will form the basis of a wildlife enforcement network in Central Africa, like those already in place in Central America, Europe, South and Southeast Asia. Participants also agreed to a roadmap for the implementation of the Action Plan, which includes the submission of the Action Plan for formal endorsement at the next meeting of the Council of Ministers of COMIFAC.

Press Release

UN/SG's Recent Appointments

Ban Ki-moon made a number of high-level appointments as he entered his 2nd term:- Jan Eliasson, former Swedish Foreign Minister, is Deputy Secretary General;
- Maged Abdelaziz, Egypt's UN Ambassdor since 2005, as Special Adviser on Africa;
- Angela Kane, of Germany, as High Representative for Disarmament Affiars; and
- Sven Alkalaj, former Foreign Minister of Bosnia-Herzegovina, as Executive Secretary of UNECE.

Mountain Partnership Holds Regional Meetings

Experts from Azerbaijan, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Mongolia and Tajikistan recently convened at a meeting on "Climate Change: Impacts, Adaptation and Development in Mountain Regions" exploring how best to address evidence of climate change impacts on mountain regions in international discussions. Participants highlighted impacts on agriculture, stressing that the climate change negotiations do not adequately consider mountain ecosystems and populations and identified priority challenges and strategic actions related to:
- branding and better communicating the global importance of Central Asian mountains;
- advocating for mountain states to act as one;
- consideration of a variety of renewable energy sources including the advantages and disadvantages of hydropower;
- sustainable use and management of water resources;
- collection of monitoring data and strengthening networks;
- efforts to combat forest degradation;
- identifying appropriate financial mechanisms for climate adaptation;
- improvement of grazing areas; and
- risk prevention of natural disasters.

The meeting is part of a series of three regional meetings on adaptation and development in mountain regions hosted by the Mountain Partnership Secretariat. The meeting for the Latin American region was held in Chile in October 2011, and the meeting for the African region will be held in Mbale (Uganda) from 16-18 November 2011.

Mountain Partnership Meeting Website

ICID+19 Africa

Approximately one hundred participants, scientists and policymakers from Africa, Brazil, Argentina and France, as well as representatives from international organizations, met in Niamey (Niger) from 24-25 October, at the “Fight Against Desertification in Africa” conference, also known as ICID+19 Africa. Over the two days, participants discussed the situation of dryland regions (arid, semi-arid and dry subhumid lands), with a special focus on Africa, and developed recommendations addressed to policy-makers in the Declaration of Niamy.

Africa Input to Rio+20

The UNCSD (Rio+20) Africa Regional Preparatory Meeting deliberated on the themes and objectives of Rio+20, agreed on a consensus statement and adopted a draft resolution on Africa’s effective participation at Rio+20.
IISD Coverage

Women and Rio+20

Groupings of Latin American and Caribbean, African, Arab and French Women have published statements on UNCSD (Rio+20) expressing, among other things, concern with the concept of “green economy,” and underlining that its use could result in economic actors dominating and determining sustainable development policies.

Latin American and Caribbean
African
Arab
French

SADC: Countries Establish Transfrontier Conservation Area

On August 18, during the Southern African Development Community Summit in Luanda (Angola) the Presidents of Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe signed the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Treaty legally establishing the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA). The treaty allows the area to potentially become the world's largest conservation area, spanning 444,000 square kilometers incorporating a number of national parks, conservancies, forest reserves and wild management areas, which are home to Africa's "big five" and other species such as cheetah, African wild dog, sable and roan antelope.
The Memorandum of Understanding serving as the basis for negotiations

More Information

African Position for Durban

African Ministers for the Environment met for the 4th Special Session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) and concluded with the adoption of the Bamako Declaration, which endorses the African Common Position as the basis for negotiations at the upcoming UNFCCC/COP-17.

The full text of the Declaration will be made available at: http://www.unep.org/roa/amcen/Amcen_Events/4th_ss/default.asp

African Energy Ministers Consider Road to Durban

Over 30 African Energy Ministers convened on 15-16 September to develop and agree on priorities for sustainably developing Africa's energy sector and concluded with the adoption of the Johannesburg Declaration.

Liability and Redress in Africa

The CBD Secretariat has released a report of the African Regional Workshop on the Nagoya-Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol on Liability and Redress to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. In their conclusions, participants, inter alia: - accepted a suggestion by the African Union (AU) Commission to formulate guidelines and strategies to support African countries in putting legal frameworks on liability and redress into place;
- noted the African Model Law on Biosafety as as one possible source of information for the development of regulatory frameworks;
- agreed to initiate implementation by reviewing existing domestic laws; and
- considered the usefulness of a harmonized approach with regard to determining damage to biodiversity, measuring biodiversity loss, techniques for biodiversity valuation and strategies to control the transboundary movements of living modified organisms (LMOs).

UN-SG: Report on the Work of the Organization

The UN/GA has circulated the Report of the Secretary-General on the work of the Organization (A/66/1). Coverage includes:
-  responses to disasters and the fact that the UN has begun to place a higher premium on disaster risk reduction and to forge new types of partnerships with the business community and civil society;
- responses to development needs underlining the outcome of LDC-IV, by which States committed to address the structural challenges faced by LDCs;
- a call for UNCSD (Rio+20) to agree on “an ambitious and actionable framework that complements the Millennium Development Goals” (MDGs), to follow the 2015 target date for meeting the eight MDGs;
- the needs of Africa and the worsening problems (extreme poverty, unemployment, armed conflicts, sexual and gender-based violence) masked by the region’s overall economic growth. In response, the UN is working to advance implementation of the Declaration on Enhancing UN-African Union (AU) Cooperation: Framework for the 10-Year Capacity-Building Programme for the AU, and partnering with governments to boost financing in sustainable forest management and other areas;
- climate change and its importance to global peace and prosperity; calling for “sustained global cooperation coupled with accelerated national actions to reduce emissions and strengthen climate resilience.” It praises the results of the Cancun Climate Change Conference as having provided an important set of tools that now must be put into practice;
- the Secretary-General’s High-level Panel on Global Sustainability (GSP), which aims to provide a practical road map for sustainable, climate-resilient development that addresses poverty eradication, energy, food, water and other key issues, the recommendations of which are expected to provide input to UNCSD (Rio+20);
- participation of the business community and the successful integration through the “private sector track” at LDC-IV providing a model for closer engagement around UNCSD (Rio+20) and other high-level events.

Lastly, the report notes that “achieving sustainable development is imperative" and in the view of the UN-SG, a crucial part of this agenda will be forging a sustainable global energy strategy.

ACP Ministers Consider Agreement with EU

As fisheries remain one of the key contentious issues for Pacific states to reach an agreement on an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the European Union; ministers from the bloc of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States met last week in Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea) to finalize positions, including market access offers, and arrangements in preparation for the next round of negotiations in November 2011. As the meeting concluded, eight Pacific ACP states had finalized their offers.

The EU has been negotiating EPAs with the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) States since September 2002. So far, only negotiations with the Caribbean region have reached a comprehensive agreement.

PIFS Press Release

Climate Change, Deforestation and the Future of African Rainforests

The Oxford Centre for Tropical Forests (OCTF) will host an international conference from 4-6 January, 2012 at Oriel College, Oxford University to provide a multidisciplinary examination of the effects of climate change and deforestation on the fate of African tropical forests in the 21st century.

There is currently a call for abstracts and more information is available here: http://www.eci.ox.ac.uk/africa/index.php and http://www.eci.ox.ac.uk/africa/programme.php.

The Steering Committee encourages papers which explore the following issues:

 - What are the potential scenarios of climate change and land use change for African forest regions?

 - What do we know about the sensitivity of African forests and their communities to these changes, and what consequences will these changes have for the future of the region?

 - How can this knowledge influence policy decisions on development and climate change adaptation?

 - What are the gaps in our knowledge and priorities for research?

South African Priorities for UNFCCC COP-17

In a press briefing, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa and incoming President of UNFCCC/COP-17, together with South African Water and Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa, described South Africa's preparations for the Durban Climate Change Conference.

According to IISD-RS, Minister Nkoana-Mashabane underlined that her Government has been working closely with Mexico in its capacity as current COP President. She explained that South Africa has undertaken informal consultations at all levels to "facilitate a credible outcome that is equitable, fair and inclusive," underlining the importance of the party-driven principle. She also listed the events that she will host or organize, including: with Mexico, a Leaders’ Dialogue on Climate Change on the margins of the 66th session of the UN/GA; a negotiator-level meeting and an informal ministerial meeting in September 2011, in South Africa; a stakeholder meeting on 5 September; and a “Pre-COP” Informal Ministerial Consultation on 20-21 October 2011, in South Africa. She stressed the need for ministers to focus on finance, means of implementation and the other outstanding political issues.

Minister Molewa stressed the need for COP-17 to "at least" put in place the "necessary building blocks to deliver a balanced agreement that takes historical responsibilities into account." She indicated her Government's commitment to develop a common African position in the negotiations, underlining that Africa is the continent most affected by climate change. She outlined the following priorities for Durban, as identified at the AU Summit: maintaining the integrity of the multilateral process; determining the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol and a comparable emission reduction regime for non-Kyoto Parties; affording a central place to adaptation; and focusing on finance discussions, particularly the design of the Green Climate Fund.

Molewa's Remarks
Nkoana-Mashabane's Remarks

Liability and Redress Regional Workshops

The CBD Secretariat has released reports of two regional workshops on the Nagoya-Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol on Liability and Redress, in Africa and Central and Eastern Europe (CEE).

Both workshops addressed: basic concepts and facts relating to liability and redress; the negotiation process and overview of the Supplementary Protocol; stakeholder perspectives; scenarios of damage and cases of liability; experiences and approaches in the region in providing rules on liability and redress; and signature and ratification.

IRENA: Africa Forum

25 African ministers, 181 government delegates and 45 representatives from African and international organizations, industry and non-governmental organizations  attended IRENA's High-Level Africa Consultative Forum on Renewable Energy from 8-9 July in Abu Dhabi (UAE). The objective was to inform IRENA’s Work Programme for Africa on specific implementation challenges facing Africa with respect to renewable energy technologies, as well as practical approaches to generate the critical policy and technical information, advice and capacity required to support the extensive deployment of renewable energy in Africa. Participants also discussed opportunities in international fora such as UNCSD (Rio+20) and COP-17 of UNFCCC. At its conclusion, participants adopted the Abu Dhabi Communiqué on Renewable Energy for Accelerating Africa’s Development

Report of the meeting from IISD-RS

Africa: Common Position on Climate and Sustainable Development

During a High-level Roundtable held in parallel to the 17th African Union Summit from 30 June-1 July in Malabo (Equatorial Guinea), 53 African Heads of State stressed the need for a common position on sustainable development in the lead-up to UNCSD (Rio+20).

The Summit went on to adopt decisions urging the Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC) to convene a meeting to consider the African Common Position on Climate Change, once it has been endorsed by the African Ministerial Conference on Environment (AMCEN) at its extra-ordinary session to be held in September 2011. In addition, AU members are urged concentrate on completing negotiations on climate finance.

On preparations for Rio+20, the Assembly urges members to participate in the preparatory meetings and invites them to develop a common African position, which should be represented by a single spokesperson.

UNEP News Release
African Union Press Release

Faith and Climate Change: Declaration to UNFCCC/COP-17

More than 130 faith leaders, including traditional leaders, mainly from Africa but also from Northern Europe and Asia gathered in Nairobi (Kenya) on 7-8 June with the objective to prepare African religious leaders for the upcoming UNFCCC/COP-17 in December in Durban (South Africa), and to do the following:

• Develop a common framework for African Ecumenical action on climate justice and sustainable peace in Africa;
• Mobilize faith based organizations to understand and respond to climate justice and sustainable peace in Africa;
• Strengthen faith leaders’ competences in climate justice and sustainable peace;
• Explore synergy with state and non-state actors in joint advocacy efforts on climate justice and sustainable peace in Africa;
• Present to the climate change negotiators the essential moral principles required to reach a fair and just climate agreement.

The final result was a communique from the faith-based organizations to the COP.

Background and Communique