Development and Integration of the Environmental Component in the Partnership for Africa Renewal Programme

The GEF has been working with African Governments through the UNCBD, UNFCCC and UNCCD to develop national environmental frameworks that support sustainable development and alleviation of poverty. This project aims at assisting African countries to consolidate this experience to address in a comprehensive and integrated manner the global environmental challenges facing the continent and promote regional and sub-regional collaboration as part of the Millenium African Renaissance Programme. Overall objective The overall goal of this project is to assist African countries to prepare and adopt an Environmental Programme for the first decade of the Millennium as an integral part of the Millennium African Renaissance Programme/Partnership for African Renewal. The specific objectives of this project are to: a)Consolidate from existing national environmental action plans and follow-up activities partly undertaken with GEF assistance, a detailed analysis of the root causes of the environmental challenges facing Africa in natural resources management especially in the area of integrated land and water management given that land degradation is an issue of extreme importance to the continent. b)Based on the above analysis and synthesis, elaborate an integrated ecosystem and resource management programme for Africa integrating the GEF Land and Water Initiative for Africa adopted in March 1999 by the GEF heads of agencies for adoption into the Partnership for African Renewal programme c)Prepare the elements for a renewal energy partnership for Africa in line with the GEF/World Bank strategic partnership for Africa as endorsed by the GEF Council in May 1999 d)Develop the science and technology capacity building framework for Africa in line with the elements of the UNDP led GEF Capacity Development Initiative focusing specifically on the scientific and technical capacity needs in Africa for priority areas identified by African countries during the CDI assessment phase: e)prepare the terms of reference, mandate, role and financing of the institutional mechanism within the OAU to be responsible for the implementation of the environmental programme for Africa taking into account the recommendation for the establishment of an African Commission on Sustainable Development as endorsed by the 35th Summit of the OAU held in Algiers in July 1999 and the current revision of the African Convention for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources .f)Prepare for the African Partnership Conference to be held in the margins of the World Summit on Sustainable Development