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Meetings covered by IISD Reporting Services - African
Regional Coverage in
2007 |
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Joint
International Conference “Desertification and the
International Policy Imperative”
17-19 December 2006, Algiers, Algeria
ARC Vol. 6 No.
1; 22 December 2006: The Joint International Conference
“Desertification and the International Policy Imperative”
focused on policies needed for successful dryland
management. Organized under the framework of the
International Year of Deserts and Desertification, the
conference addressed the following topics: improved policy
focus on desertification; mobilization of resources and
capacity; new initiatives to mainstream desertification
issues into national and international policy processes;
improved knowledge management initiatives; improved
political viability, design and implementation of
national-level initiatives; and interlinkages between
desertification, climate change, biodiversity and other
global environmental issues.
IISD RS coverage. |
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African
Regional Workshop on Sustainable Use of Biological Diversity
12-15 December 2006, Nairobi, Kenya
ARC Vol. 5 No.
1; 18 December 2006: The African Regional Workshop on
Sustainable Use of Biological was attended by 33
participants, including 13 designated representatives of
Convention on Biological Diversity parties from the African
region as well as representatives of UN and specialized
agencies, inter-governmental organizations, non-governmental
organizations (NGOs), indigenous and local community
organizations, research institutions and farmers
federations. The Workshop addressed agenda items on issues
including: a review of the Addis Ababa Principles and
recommendations on their application to agricultural
biodiversity; ecosystem services assessment; and financial
costs and benefits associated with the conservation and
sustainable use of biodiversity. At the conclusion of the
meeting, participants adopted the Nairobi Statement on
Sustainable Use of Agricultural Diversity.
IISD RS coverage. |
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Capacity Building Workshop on Partnerships for Improving the
Performance of Water Utilities in the Africa Region
6-8 December 2006, Nairobi, Kenya
ARC Vol. 4 No.
1; 11 December 2006: The Capacity Building Workshop on
Partnerships for Improving the Performance of Water
Utilities in the Africa Region discussed the implementation
of the global water and sanitation agenda in the African
context. Organized by the United Nations Department of
Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA) and the United Nations
Human Settlement Programme (UN-HABITAT) the workshop focused
on contributing towards the implementation of the global
water and sanitation agenda by strengthening the capacities
of water utilities in meeting the dual challenge of service
expansion and efficient delivery of services. Participants
developed a Nairobi Statement, which states the need to,
inter alia: develop and implement programmes to overcome
limited technical, financial and institutional capacities;
promote commitment, support and participation of all
stakeholders to improve the performance of water utilities;
increase finance to improve and extend safe and adequate
access to water and sanitation for all; recommend separation
of the dual functions of regulatory and operational
activities that will improve the performance of public
utilities in delivering water and sanitation services;
implement actions regarding benchmarking of utilities, such
as establishing criteria for customer satisfaction,
evaluating the performance of utility managers, serving the
poor and creating gender balance in the utilities; and
develop and institutionalize partnerships to promote the
exchange of experiences and facilitate contact among
utilities.
IISD RS coverage. |
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The
African Ministerial Council on Science and Technology (AMCOST)
Extraordinary Conference
20-24 November 2006, Cairo, Egypt
ARC Vol. 3 No.
3; 27 November 2006: The AMCOST Extraordinary Conference
prepared inputs for the January 2007 AU Summit of Heads of
State and Government. Delegates to the AMCOST conference
considered a range of proposals and reports on African
science and technology matters, including: a proposal to
establish an African Presidents’ Committee for Science and
Technology; the draft report of the High-level Panel on
Modern Biotechnology; the African Strategy on Biosafety; a
proposal for the African Strategy for Technology Transfer
and Acquisition of Domestic Technological Capabilities; the
report of the conferences of the Diaspora and of African
NGOs on the popularization of science and technology; a
proposal for the formation of the Pan-African Intellectual
Property Organization; the report of the first AU Congress
of Scientists and Policy Makers; options for the African
Science and Innovation Facility; and criteria and guidelines
for establishing African networks of centers of excellence
in science and technology. At the close of the AMCOST
meeting, ministers had agreed to a meeting report
summarizing their discussions on each agenda item, and had
adopted the Cairo Declaration, containing ministerial
commitments on future work in relation to science and
technology and recommendations for consideration at the 2007
Summit.
IISD RS coverage. |
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The
Inter-Ministerial Dialogue on Building an African Network of
Centers of Excellence in Water Sciences and Technology
22 November 2006, Cairo, Egypt
ARC Vol. 3 No.
2: 23 November 2006: The Inter-Ministerial Dialogue on
Building an African Network of Centers of Excellence in
Water Sciences and Technology was held jointly by the
Bureaus of African Ministerial Council on Science and
Technology (AMCOST) and the African Ministerial Council on
Water (AMCOW) on Wednesday, 22 November 2006, in Cairo,
Egypt. The dialogue was attended by ministers from Lesotho,
Senegal, South Africa and Zimbabwe, senior representatives
from Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, and South Africa, and
representatives from the Office of Science and Technology of
the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) and the
African Union (AU) Commission. Throughout the day, delegates
considered issues related to criteria and guidelines,
financial mechanisms and governance for the network of
centers of excellence in water sciences and technology (the
network), before agreeing to its establishment.
IISD RS coverage. |
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The UN
Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) African
Regional Workshop on Adaptation
21-23 September 2006, Accra, Ghana
ARC Vol. 2 No.
1; 26 September 2006: The UNFCCC African Regional
Workshop on Adaptation aimed at highlighting African
concerns related to climate change adaptation and
vulnerability reduction, with a view to identifying specific
adaptation needs to be considered under the UNFCCC. The
workshop was structured around four sessions: impact and
vulnerability assessments; adaptation planning and
implementation; regional collaboration; and outcomes and
ways forward. The first three sessions consisted mainly of
country presentations followed by a question-and-answer
period and open discussion. Session three, on regional
collaboration, took the form of two roundtable discussions,
while session four, on outcomes and ways forward, consisted
of discussions in three breakout groups aimed at identifying
key adaptation needs.
IISD RS coverage. |
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Eleventh session of the African Ministerial Conference on
the Environment (AMCEN)
22-26 May 2006, Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo
ARC Vol. 1 No.
1; 17 June 2006: AMCEN-11 opened with an expert group
segment which was followed by a high-level segment, whereby
Ministers of the environment from across Africa, in addition
to delegates from major inter-governmental and
non-governmental organizations, engaged in a policy dialogue
to discuss pressing issues affecting the continent. Based on
input from the expert group segment, the ministerial segment
emerged with the adoption of 11 decisions and the
Brazzaville Declaration, which seek to further AMCEN’s goal
of halting environmental degradation and promoting
sustainable development in Africa. Several major
environmental governance and finance issues were debated at
length, most notably the prospects for the establishment of
an African Environmental Facility for financing
environmental activities in Africa.
IISD RS coverage. |
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