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Africa Weekly
Sustainable Development Guidance Document
Edition 1:8 - Monday, 10 August 2009
Editors Note: Welcome to the eighth issue of IISD's Africa Weekly Sustainable Development Guidance Document. The Guidance Document replaces our Linkages Africa newsletter, and we aim to provide this service on a weekly basis. If you should come across a news article or have a submission for the next issue, please send it directly to richards@iisd.org. The Africa Weekly Sustainable Development Guidance Document is an exclusive publication of IISD for the AFRICASD-L list and should not be reposted or republished to other lists/websites without the permission of IISD (you can write to Kimo Goree for permission.) If you have been forwarded this issue and would like to subscribe to AFRICASD-L, please visit: http://enb.iisd.org/email/#africasd-l
Events in Review: 31 July – 6 August 2009
31 July: AfDB: Housing: The African Development Bank (AfDB) has committed more than US$38 million to Shelter Afrique in support of sustainable housing solutions in Africa. AfDB and Shelter Afrique signed a package of three financial agreements, consisting of a US$30 million line of credit, US$ 7.5 million for equity investments, and US$.95 million for technical assistance from the Fund for African Private Sector Assistance. This line of credit will provide long-term funds for on-lending to private real estate developers and housing finance institutions in Shelter Afrique member countries. [More information]
31 July: AU: Regional Integration: Parliamentarians and civil society organizations met for a two-day event on Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) at the African Union Commission Headquarters, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The participants of the workshop underscored the need for African countries to focus on the regional integration process of the continent. They outlined that EPAs are expected to create opportunities for building regional markets, stimulate investments, integrate the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) into the world economy and help in poverty reduction. [Download press release]
31 July: FAO: World Summit on Food Security: The Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Jacques Diouf has invited governments around the world to participate in negotiations to agree on a declaration for adoption by the World Summit of Heads of State and Government on Food Security, to take place from 16-18 November 2009 in Rome, Italy. The decision to convene the summit was taken by the FAO Council in June 2009. [More information]
31 July: AfDB/Zambia: Zambia’s Finance and National Planning Minister, Situmbeko Musokotwane has commended the African Development Bank for its continued effort of updating African Governments about economic social development progress on the continent. He said this in a speech read on his behalf by his Deputy, Chileshe Kapwepwe at the launch of the 2009 African Economic Outlook (AEO) and the 2009 Africa Competitiveness Reports in Lusaka, Zambia. The Minister observed that the current economic management challenges facing the continent as highlighted in the reports that are largely attributed to the on-going economic crisis require appropriate policy response and a joint effort between government’s and their cooperating partners. [More information]
2 August: UNEP: Climate Change: The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) was involved in two festivals in Nairobi, Kenya, namely the Storymoja Hay Festival, held from 31 July-1 August, and Kenya’s first green music festival, held on 2 August, that considered climate change. The Storymoja Hay Festival hosted talks on critical topics facing East Africa, including a keynote discussion on climate change and the upcoming climate meeting in Copenhagen by Achim Steiner, UNEP Executive Director. Modeled on Britain’s annual Hay Festival, the event was designed to be a meeting of minds to brainstorm for solutions on climate change, the environment, education, finance, fair trade and business. On 2 August, UNEP was also involved in Kenya’s first green music festival, titled Blankets & Wine presents Seal the Deal! The event aimed to help raise environmental awareness on the road to an effective global agreement on climate change in Copenhagen this December. The audience and performers at the music festival made their voices heard by signing the online Climate Petition to encourage their leaders to seal a fair, balanced and effective climate deal when they meet in Copenhagen this December. [UNEP press release]
4 August: World Bank/DRC: The first Emission Reductions Purchase Agreement (ERPA) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) was signed with a local Congolese firm, NOVACEL, at the World Bank office in Kinshasa. Through this agreement, the World Bank-administered BioCarbon Fund is purchasing half a million carbon credits from an initiative to reforest 4200 hectares of degraded land on the Plateau Bateke, 150 kilometers from the DRC capital of Kinshasa. The project is using carbon finance to generate resources for health, education, and agro-forestry activities while also trapping an estimated 2.4 million tons of carbon dioxide over the next 30 years. [Press release]
6 August: UN/US: A senior United Nations official welcomed United States Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s recent statements in Kenya as a clear signal that Washington is committed to boost sustainable agricultural development in the world’s poorer countries as a way to root out global hunger and poverty. Clinton’s comments, in which she called for more agricultural aid money to be spent in poorer countries, show a clear US resolve to act upon the $20-billion pledge for sustainable agricultural development made at last month’s G8 summit of industrialized nations in L’Aquila, Italy, UN Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) President Kanayo F. Nwanze said in a news release. [More information]

SPECIAL FEATURE
TKN
29-30 July: IISD-TKN: Namibia Trade and Environment Workshop: Trade Knowledge Network (TKN)-Southern Africa in collaboration with GTZ hosted a two workshop to present its assessment of the potential environmental threats and opportunities of trade liberalization and to craft a way forward for considering sustainable development during trade and economic policy making processes. The assessment rapid in nature and known as the Rapid Trade and Environment Assessment (RTEA) was designed by IISD to help countries flag areas of concern or opportunity for environmental sustainability in trade policy making. Namibia is the very first country in the region to conduct this assessment that focused on the implications of trade policy in the meat and tourism industries, as well as the implications of other international agreements such as the Convention on Biological Diversity or any climate regime may have on the potential of converting wild bush into biochar. [Download the summary of the RTEA's findings] [More information] [Trade Knowledge Network] If you would like to receive a copy of the final report or learn more about the RTEA please contact Sheila Kiratu

REPORTS AND PUBLICATIONS
UN-HABITAT: Urban World: Innovative Cities: why learning is the key to sustainable cities. This issue of Urban World covers innovative cities. It examines why learning is the key to smarter urban development. [Download here]
UNFCCC: The adaptation subprogramme of the UNFCCC Secretariat has released its July 2009 issue of the Nairobi Work Programme eUpdate. This issue features stories on: the June 2009 Bonn Climate Change Talks; a technical workshop dedicated to increasing economic resilience to climate change, which was held in April 2009 in Cairo, Egypt; “A Call for Action 8,” which identifies priority areas for action under the Nairobi Work Programme; and a calendar of upcoming adaptation-related submission deadlines and workshops. In conclusion, the eUpdate requests inputs from readers regarding adaptation activities, adaptation experts, and action pledges made under the Nairobi Work Programme. [The eUpdate]
GEF: The Green Line: The GEF is launching "The Green Line", its new newsletter that will substitute the Talking Points. With more information and a fresh new look the Green Line will be the new communication channel of the GEF. [Announcement] [The Green Line]

ANNOUNCEMENTS
UN-HABITAT: Scroll of Honor Award: The Habitat Scroll of Honor award was launched by the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) in 1989. It is currently the most prestigious human settlements award in the world. Its aim is to acknowledge initiatives which have made outstanding contributions in various fields such as shelter provision, highlighting the plight of the homeless, leadership in post conflict reconstruction, and developing and improving the human settlements and the quality of urban life. The award, a plaque engraved with the name of the winner and their achievement will be presented to the winners during the Global Observance of World Habitat Day on 5 October 2009. Candidates for this year’s Scroll of Honor Award should submit details of their achievements by 15 August 2009. Submissions should not exceed 10 pages but there is no limitation on supporting material that can be attached as annexes. [More information]

FANRPAN
2009 FANRPAN High Level Regional Policy Dialogue: The 2009 FANRPAN High Level Regional Policy Dialogue will be held in Maputo Mozambique, 31 August to 4 September. The theme for the 2009 annual dialogue is “True Contribution of Agriculture to Economic Growth and Poverty Reduction in Southern African countries.” The 2009 stakeholders' conference will be a direct follow up to the 2008 conference on "Regional Strategies for Addressing the Global Food Crisis". The 2009 conference will bring together researched case studies from different countries on the “true contribution of agriculture to economic growth and poverty in southern Africa” – based on the various forward and backward linkages discussed in the 2008 conference. Stakeholders interested in food, agriculture and natural resources policies are welcome to attend. Sponsorship is limited and communication will be sent directly to sponsored delegates.
The draft programme, background note, information on logistics and registration form have been uploaded on the FANRPAN website.
Society for Conservation Biology Africa Section: The Society for Conservation Biology (SCB) Africa Section instituted SCB Africa Section Communications/Mentoring Program in 2007 funded by John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to expand the pipeline of seasoned African Conservation Biologists and foster the development of young aspiring professionals in Conservation Biology. The programme is targeted at coaching African students and Conservation Biologists on writing high standard manuscript and proposal. Mentees (upcoming scientists) are paired with mentors (experienced African or non African scientists) who will coach them through 8 months of well structured e-mentoring process. The program is open to SCB Africa Section members; however SCB membership is not a requirement. Enrollment exercise commenced 1st August 2009 to close by 31st. For more information on how to enrol as a mentee or mentor, please visit http://www.conbio.org/Sections/Africa/AfricaMentor.cfm

UPCOMING MEETINGS
11-13 August: Eleventh East Africa Power Industry Convention, Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania. [More information]
11-13 August: Workshop on the EC-ACP Capacity Building Project on MEAs, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
[Concept Note and UNEP project document]
16-22 August:
Twenty Eighth International Conference for Agricultural Economists, Beijing, China. [More information]
16-22 August: World Water Week, Stockholm, Sweden. [More information]
17-23 August: 2009 UNEP Tunza International Children and Youth Conference, Daejeon, Republic of Korea. [More information]
21-22 August: Third East Africa Media Summit, Kampala, Uganda. [Download the press release here]
23-28 August: Second Congress on World Agroforestry, Nairobi, Kenya. [More information] 
24 August - 4 September: Sustainable Global Technologies Programme, Nairobi, Kenya. [More information]
26-27 August:
Thirteenth Southern Africa Climate Outlook Forum (SARCOF-13), in Harare, Zimbabwe. [More information]
31 August - 4 September: Third World Climate Conference, Geneva, Switzerland. [More information] 
31 August - 4 September: The 2009 Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN) High Level Regional Policy Dialogue, Maputo, Mozambique. [More information]
The Africa Weekly Sustainable Development Guidance Document is a publication of the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) <info@iisd.ca>, publishers of the Earth Negotiations Bulletin © <enb@iisd.org>. This issue was compiled and edited by Tallash Kantai and Richard Sherman. The Guidance Document is part of IISD Reporting Service’s African Regional Coverage (ARC) Project in partnership with South Africa’s Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT), the UN Environment Programme’s Regional Office for Africa (UNEP ROA) and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity. The Director of IISD Reporting Services is Langston James “Kimo” Goree VI <kimo@iisd.org>. The Programme Manager of the African Regional Coverage Project is Richard Sherman <rsherman@iisd.org>. Funding for the Africa Weekly Sustainable Development Guidance Document has been provided by Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and the International Development Research Centre, Canada, through the African Regional Coverage Project for IISD Reporting Service’s coverage of African regional meetings. IISD can be contacted at 161 Portage Avenue East, 6th Floor, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 0Y4, Canada; tel: +1-204-958-7700; fax: +1-204-958-7710. The opinions expressed in the Guidance Document are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of IISD. Electronic versions of the Guidance Document are sent to the electronic distribution list (in HTML format) and can be found on the Linkages WWW-server at <http://enb.iisd.org/africa/>. For information on the ARC, including requests to provide reporting services, contact the Director of IISD Reporting Services at <kimo@iisd.org>, +1-646-536-7556 or 300 East 56th St., 11A, New York, New York 10022, US.
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