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Daily Web Coverage
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Summary report
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| 12 September 2005 |
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Highlights from Friday, 9 September 2005
The
Intergovernmental Meeting (IGM) resumed
on Friday morning with its high-level
segment. The morning and early afternoon
featured statements by several ministers
and other heads of delegation. The IGM
then adopted the Global Strategy and
Kinshasa Declaration. The IGM concluded
with the signing of the Kinshasa
Declaration before Abdoulaye Yerodia
Ndombasi, Vice-President of the
Democratic Republic of the Congo, closed
the meeting.
Morning Session
IGM Chair D.
E. Musibono and Secretary General
Samy Mankoto
opened the high-level segment by
welcoming participants and outlining the
day’s agenda. Secretary General Monkoto
also introduced Klaus Töpfer, Executive
Director, UNEP, and Walter Erdelen,
Assistant Director General,
Natural Sciences Sector, UNESCO, and
expressed his appreciation to the many
individuals who helped organize the
GRASP Council meeting and IGM.
Delegates then heard
statements from ministers, heads of
delegation, and non-governmental
organizations.
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Jim Knight,
Minister for
Rural
Affairs,
Landscape
and
Biodiversity,
United
Kingdom,
reaffirmed
his
country’s
commitment
to GRASP and
noted that
efforts must
be made to
engage local
populations
in
conservation,
and that
even
relatively
small
amounts of
money can
make a huge
difference.
He
referenced
the link
between this
meeting and
the recent
G8
commitment
to Africa,
and noted
that the
Kinshasa
declaration
will send a
signal to
the upcoming
Millennium
Review
Summit.
Henri Djombo,
Minister of
Forest
Economy and
Environment,
Republic of
Congo, noted
that a
common
problem is
the lack of
resources to
effectively
combat
poaching and
a lack of
technical
support. He
called on
donors to
provide
funding and
on
international
NGOs to work
with
national
NGOs. |
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Jim Knight, (MP) Minister
for Rural Affairs, Landscape and
Biodiversity -DEFRA- United
Kingdom |
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Henri Djombo, Minister of
Forestry and Environment of the
Republic
of Congo – Brazzaville |
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Former Governing Council
President Arcado Ntagazwa,
MP and Minister of State
(Tanzania) |
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Egbé
Hillman Achuo, Minister of Forests and
Water, Cameroon, summarized his
country’s efforts to protect great apes,
and appealed to donor countries to
provide funding. Jean-Eudes Teya,
Minister of Water, Forests, Hunting and
Fishing, Central African Republic, cited
the need for political stability and
economic development to protect great
apes. David Zeller, International
Rangers Federation, stressed the
dangerous role of rangers in protecting
great apes, and the need for training
and appropriate equipment.
Andrews
Adjei-Yeboah, Deputy Minister for Lands,
Forestry & Mines, Ghana, stressed
his country’s willingness to adhere to
all of the GRASP commitments.
Arcado
Ntagazwa, Minister of State,
Vice-President’s Office, Environment,
Tanzania noted that environmental
degradation in Tanzania is mainly a
development problem. Aselme Enerunga,
Minister of Environment, Conservation,
Water and Forests, DRC, noted that the
Global Strategy is a source of
inspiration for countries that need to
develop and implement national action
plans. |
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David Zeller, President
of the International Ranger
Federation |
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Fourteen DRC Rangers, proud and
pleased after a
training course, Virunga
National Park.
Five years later, at the time of
the World Park Congress 2003,
twelve of the fourteen rangers
had lost their lives in the line
of duty. The only survivors to
date are the two rangers on the
extreme left and right of the
group photo.
Photo credit: Jobogo Mirindi |
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Ian
Singleton, Sumatran Orangutan Protection
Project gave an overview of the
challenges to protect orangutans in
Indonesia and Borneo. Pasteur Cosma
Wilungula Balongelwa, “Institut
Congolais pour la Conservation de la
Nature”, cited work underway in
the DRC to take into account great apes
both within and outside protected areas.
Joao
José Martins Lopes de Carvalho, Minister
of Agriculture and Rural Development,
Guinea Bissau, referenced his country’s
work with two universities in Portugal,
and with IUCN, to create inventories of
chimpanzees. A representative of a
coalition of DRC NGOs highlighted the
active participation of national NGOs in
various great apes projects. Graciano
Domingos, Deputy Minister, Urbanization
and Environment, Angola, noted the
degree to which military instability has
exacerbated the plight of the great
apes.
Jonas
Nagahudi Mbongu, Executive Director,
COMIFAC, highlighted COMIFAC’s concern
with conservation of fauna, and its
endorsement of the Kinshasa
Declaration. Anne-Marie Kalanga,
representing local media, stated that
the local media has a role in
disseminating information on great apes,
and that local populations are largely
unaware of problems facing the great
apes. Chair Musibono summarized the
presentations, highlighting the desire
to move from rhetoric to specific deed,
and from promises to action. |
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Dr. Ian Singleton,
Scientific Director of the
Sumatran Orangutan Conservation
Programme |
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Graciano Domingos,
Vice-Minister of Urbanization
and Environment of Angola |
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Anne-Marie Kalanga of the
Democratic Republic of Congo
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Global Strategy for the
survival of great apes and their
habitat
In the afternoon, the IGM
reconvened, following the launch
of the World Atlas of Great
Apes. Delegates adopted the
Global Strategy, with the
overall goal of lifting the
threat of imminent extinction
facing most populations of great
apes and to make sure that,
where great apes interact with
people, those interactions are
mutually positive and
sustainable.
Chair Musibono then introduced
the draft Kinshasa Declaration
and gave delegates an
opportunity to consider the text
while hearing further statements. Prof Toshisada Nishida, GRASP Patron
and representative of the newly
founded GRASP Japan, described
their work, highlighting 7 major
projects including ones in
Kalimantan, Indonesia, South
East Guinea, and Tanzania.
Denys Gauer, Ambassador for the
Environment, France, emphasized
the importance of forging links
between the Congo Basin Forest
Partnership and the GRASP
partnership. He said France
would now consider how it could
provide assistance in supporting
GRASP.
Roger A. Meece, United States Ambassador,
informed delegates of the United
States
contributions to the Congo Basin
Forest Project through the
Central Africa Regional
Programme for the Environment
(CARPE), noting that a number of
CARPE projects are of direct
benefit to the great apes. He
said the United States is building a global
Coalition Against Wildlife
Trafficking to focus political
and public attention on the
problem. |
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Professor
Toshisada Nishida
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United States Ambassador to the Democratic
Republic of Congo, Roger A.
Meece |
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Dr Noriaki
Sakaguchi,
Assistant
Director
Wildlife
Division,
Nature
Conservation
Bureau,
Ministry of
the
Environment,
Japan, said
Japan fully
supports the
GRASP
partnership.
Urging joint
action to
conserve the
great apes,
Michel van
den Bossche
of the
EuropeAid
Co-Operation
Office of
the European
Commission
urged
finding
solutions
which can be
tested at
the local
level
through
partnership
between
international
partners,
range
States, and
local
communities.
He called
for the
mainstreaming
of the
survival of
the great
apes in long
term
sustainable
development,
building on
the impetus
started by
the GRASP
Partnership
and this
IGM-1.
He
confirmed
the
EU’s support
for GRASP to
facilitate
this
process.
Bernard de
Schrevel,
Attaché for
Development
Cooperation,
Food and
Security
Sector,
Belgium,
endorsed the
GRASP
Partnership,
said Belgium
is exploring
possibilities
to fund
GRASP
activities,
and welcomed
the UK and
France as
donor
country
partners of
GRASP.
Robert
Hepworth,
Executive
Secretary
UNEP/CMS
Secretariat
and
representing
the
Biodiversity
Liaison
Group, said
that this
meeting was
a personal
dream of his
as a
founding
member of
GRASP. He
announced a
new project,
co-sponsored
by the CMS,
UNEP,
UNESCO, and
others,
facilitating
the
preparation
and
negotiation
with
governments
of 10 range
states an
agreement
and action
plan under
Article IV
of the CMS
to guarantee
the
protection
of gorillas.
The session
ended with
statements
from NGOs.
The
Orangutan
Foundation
reaffirmed
her
commitment
to GRASP.
Local NGOs
Programme
for the
protection
and
development
of fauna and
flora (PDPF)
and Pole
Pole
Foundation
reported on
successful
projects
undertaken
with the
support of
the GRASP
Partnership.
Delegates
then adopted
the Kinshasa
Declaration,
and agreed
to a call
from the
Republic of
Congo to
include a
commitment
by Donor
Partners to
provide
financial
support to
GRASP
programmes
and national
programmes
in the body
of the
report of
the meeting. |
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Klaus Töpfer, Executive
Director of UNEP addresses the
GRASP IGM High-Level Segment |
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Klaus Töpfer, UNEP
Executive Secretary, chat with
Melanie Virtue, UNEP
GRASP Secretariat
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Closing ceremony
Following signature of the Kinshasa
Declaration by International Agencies,
NGOs and other civil society and private
sector representatives, the closing
ceremony of IGM-1 took place under the
patronage of President Joseph Kabila,
DRC, represented by Vice-President
Abdoulaye Yerodia Ndombasi.
Prof.
Richard Wrangham, Patron of GRASP,
speaking also on behalf of Prof.
Toshisada Nishida, congratulated the
GRASP Partnership highlighting its
contribution to great ape data and
noting the trend towards great ape
extinction. He noted successful models
for reversing the universal trend
towards extinction of the great apes. He
concluded by suggesting great apes and
their habitat can be considered of
outstanding universal value under the
World Heritage Convention and, therefore
great ape habitats should be designated
as World Heritage sites and great apes
as the first World Heritage species.
Walter Erdelen, on behalf of the
Director General of UNESCO, Koïchiro
Matsuura, urged an integrated
multidisciplinary approach with strong
political commitment, and highlighted
the encouraging presence at this IGM-1.
He said in this decade for sustainable
development, there is a need to include
the great apes within sustainable
development strategies.
Finally, Klaus Töpfer, Executive
Director of UNEP, on behalf of the
Secretary General of the UN, Kofi Annan,
underscored man’s close relationship
with the great apes and said we have not
treated them with respect. He
highlighted successes, emphasized
cooperation to mobilize the needed
money, expertise and equipment, and said
this IGM-1 had made great progress in
charting the way forward. As UNEP
Executive Director, he emphasized UNEP’s
involvement in the GRASP Partnership and
the interlinking of the survival of the
great apes with the fight against
poverty and highlighted the upcoming
2005 World Summit in New York.
The
Kinshasa Declaration was then read out
to the delegates by Melanie Virtue,
GRASP Deputy Secretary General, and
signed by range ministers, donor
ministers, UNEP, UNESCO and COMIFAC. Vice President Ndombasi closed
the IGM at 7.40pm. |
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