by Richard Nyamanhindi – SANF 08 No 34
This year the African continent celebrates Africa Day under the theme: “Meeting the Millennium Development Goals on Water and Sanitation”.
The objective of this theme is for Africa to address the persisting and emerging social issues such as water, sanitation and health in the context of achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
In a statement issued ahead of 25 May celebrations, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Jean Ping, said, “the Commission has recognised the increasing disease burden on Africa attributed to environmental deterioration, extreme poverty, and inadequate personal and community hygiene”.
“Accordingly, a number of policies and strategies have been elaborated, which are being implemented by member states, Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and other partners in the health sector”.
In light of these objectives, the African Union (AU) continues to implement programmes and strategies developed to promote sustainable environmental management and improving the adaptive capacities of the African people.
Worth recalling is the fact that every year, the Commission celebrates Africa Day under different themes relevant to the development of Africa.
The theme for 2006 for example was: “Working together for integration and development”, while that of 2007 was observed under the theme: “Let’s strengthen Africa’s place in the world through strategic, balanced and responsible partnerships”.
Africa’s development has been at the centre of the AU and its different commissions. In collaboration with the UN, the AU has organised a number of initiatives such as the UN-Habitat and AU Ministerial Conference on Housing and Urban Development (AMCHUD) in 2005.
The major thrust of this conference was to improve housing and the living conditions of people in African cities and towns with adequate access to water and sanitation and with the view to reducing the spread of slums.
This was in conformity with MDG 7 on Ensuring Environmental Sustainability and the Maputo Decision of the AU Summit in 2003 on “Promoting the Development of Sustainable Cities and Towns in Africa”. Implementation of some of the recommendations from this conference is underway.
Similarly, following the adoption of the landmark decision on climate change by the AU Summit of January 2007, the Climate for Development in Africa Programme is being developed as a coping strategy to minimise the impact of climate change on the continent especially in the water sector.
In adapting to climate change and variability, Africa needs all the support that it can get. Capacity building, especially at the level of member states, RECs, and the AU Commission is of particular importance for the successful implementation of adaptive strategies.
Apart from these efforts, the AU Commission has also been spearheading implementation of the Green Wall for the Sahara Initiative, which has witnessed important milestones with the elaboration of an implementation plan to address the issue of land degradation and desertification in the arid and semi-arid zones of Africa.
The Commission is now partnering with the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery of the World Bank and International Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction of the UN in the capacity reinforcement of the RECs and their member states.
On the issue of sustainable water management on the continent, the AU has been supporting river and lake basin initiatives under the aegis of African Network of Basin Organisations whose bureau has been adopted by the African Ministers’ Council on Water as its sub-committee on trans-boundary waters.
Policy and institutional framework guidelines with regard to sustainable water management have already been developed and are being disseminated in member states.
It is therefore essential that environmental issues are mainstreamed into the national planning processes and be allotted the necessary financial and human resources. There is also a pressing need for a renewed focus on increasing Africa’s ability to adapt to, and to mitigate the negative impacts of disasters that may lead to further deterioration of water and sanitation infrastructures.
The necessary frameworks for advocating and streamlining environmental issues into the national development agendas exist at the levels of the AU Commission.
This year’s celebrations also come in light of the search for sustainable and alternative energy sources to lessen the continent’s dependency on bio fuels against the backdrop of increasingly unaffordable world oil prices.
