Shifeta calls for legally binding global instrument to address drought

Environment and forestry minister Pohamba Shifeta has called for the creation of a global legally binding instrument to address drought under the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification.

He was speaking at the 19th African Ministerial Conference on Environment (Amcen) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, last week.

Shifeta said such an instrument would amplify attention and financial allocation to address drought as an independent issue and establish a comprehensive policy and regional framework to proactively manage drought.

Shifeta highlighted the interconnections of drought, land degradation and desertification, particularly in Africa, with repercussions including loss of human lives, food insecurity, water scarcity, environmental degradation, poverty and social instability.

He said despite having received lower rainfall this year, Namibia remains committed to enhancing resilience against drought.

At the two-day meeting of over 100 African civil society organisations, participants expressed concern about the insufficient implementation of the Amcen resolutions and their integration into policies.

The purpose of the meeting was to address concerns about safeguarding African interests in regional and global environmental and climate change negotiations.

In a statement issued after the meeting, civil society organisations said they were puzzled that many decisions only consist of recommendations and proposals, which lack a clear plan for execution.

“We call for the effective implementation and monitoring of Amcen decisions, such as the Libreville Declaration on Health and Environment in Africa, the Cairo Declaration on Managing Africa’s Natural Capital for Sustainable Development and Poverty Eradication and the Durban Declaration on Enhancing the Role of Amcen as a Forum for Environment and Sustainable Development in Africa.”

The civil society organisations urged Amcen to establish a reliable, unambiguous and open monitoring, evaluation and learning system to routinely monitor progress, evaluate the outcomes of regional and national decision implementation and record best practices.

While Amcen member countries should commit to environmental conservation, they should enhance their national resource mobilisation techniques and meet their annual mandatory contribution of US$10 000 to Amcen’s general trust fund, the organisations noted.

“Additionally, member countries must strictly control the illicit financial flows from African natural resources, which hinder the execution of environmental and sustainable development programmes, causing a yearly loss of up to US$195 billion in natural and financial resources.

While they recognise the efforts and achievements of Amcen in advancing the African position on climate change and promoting regional cooperation and integration, they are nonetheless alarmed by the increasing impacts of climate change on the continent, which is the most vulnerable and least responsible for this crisis.

“We are outraged and appalled by the current state of the global climate, negotiations and developed countries lack of ambition and commitment to fulfil their historical responsibilities and legal obligations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

“We are deeply concerned about the change in the stance of some African leaders regarding climate justice. For many years, Africa has stood firmly behind the principles of common but differentiated responsibility and capabilities. However, we have observed a shift toward a principle of shared responsibility, which is worrying,” noted the statement.

Amcen is a permanent forum where African ministers of environment discuss matters of relevance to the environment of the continent, established in 1985 when African ministers met in Egypt and adopted the Cairo Programme for African Cooperation. The conference is convened every second year. Amcen provides advocacy for environmental protection in Africa to ensure that basic needs are met adequately and in a sustainable manner, social and economic development is realised at all levels and agricultural activities and practices meet the food security needs of the continent.