| SAEP Intern Projects |  |
Jason M. Mitschele
June 1998
[There is a footnoted version available in text format.]
I would like to acknowledge the invaluable assistance of Jacqueline van Staalduinen who provided countless hours of support, and as a fellow Canadian made me feel at home in a foreign land. I would also like to thank all of the other officials at SADC Environmental Management Sector who provided crucial information which made this study possible.
CONTENTS
I Introduction
II Background
III Environmental Management Under SADC
IV Conclusion
V Bibliography
I. INTRODUCTION
Given the history of colonialism, oppression, and inequality in the Southern African region, the states of Southern Africa sought a way to address economic and social inequalities within a regional framework. This led to the Southern African Development Co-ordinating Conference formed in Lusaka, Zambia on April 1, 1980. This was signified by the adoption of the Lusaka Declaration "Southern Africa Towards Economic Reparation". The founding members consisted of the ten majority rule states of that time: Angola, Lesotho, Malawi, Zambia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Swaziland, Mozambique, and Mauritius. These states were later joined by Namibia and South Africa to form the Southern African Development Community, (SADC). Subsequently, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Seychelles have joined. This paper will discuss the formation of SADC and its administrative bodies. In particular, efforts of the environmental co-ordinating unit, SADC Environmental and Land Management Sector (SADC-ELMS) will be investigated.
II. BACKGROUND
The declaration treaty, which established SADC, was signed at the head of state summit in Windhoek, Namibia in August 17th, 1992. As part of SADC’s regional integration plan each member state pledges to co-ordinate a sector or sectors on behalf of its neighbors. Each member state is responsible for hosting a sector co-ordinating unit to be staffed by its own civil servants. In order to assist in defining regional priorities, national issues are addressed through regional action. This provides the rationale for allocating a sector to each member state and for proposing policies, strategies, and projects dealing with that sector. This all becomes part of the SADC program of action which is a culmination of all of the programs and projects approved by the Council of Ministers. Although the sectoral structure of SADC is responsible for the bulk of research and planning, ultimately key decisions are made at other levels of the organisation.
The hierarchy begins with the Summit, which consists of the heads of state of each SADC nation who meet annually to decide on the direction of the organisation. From there the Council of Ministers, made up of finance ministers from each SADC state, are joined by officials from other ministries deemed relevant for the topics discussed. In true intergovernmental form, the nitty-gritty bargaining and decision-making is made at the bureaucratic level by technical working groups with specific expertise in the given issue areas. Technical working groups are interactive, and learn from each other through information-sharing workshops.
According to Ernst B. Haas, this is the level at which learning occurs through the sharing of knowledge. This can lead to "institutionalisation and organisational ecology," where the international organisation takes on a life of its own and becomes more than merely a sum of its individual member states. As such, in recognizing that issues regarding environmental degradation can have transboundary affects that do not stop at SADC’s political borders, an environmental management sector was formed.
III. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT UNDER SADC
With SADC member states' integration into the world market the importance of land management, preservation, and sustainable development have become apparent in Southern Africa. There is also a realization that threats to human health and the environment, such as soil erosion, desertification, and air pollution must be controlled before their affects become even more devastating to the region. The nations of SADC feel that the most effective way to deal with the immense task of combating these problems is by acting within a regional framework. With all concerned states contributing to the process, SADC can work towards effective communication and management among all stakeholders. Thus an integrated approach to environmental management, linking preservation to development has been adopted.
The Southern African Development Community’s Environmental and Land Management Sector, (SADC-ELMS) was established in Maseru, Lesotho. Its mandate is to initiate projects to co-ordinate all programs and activities dealing with environment and land management in the region. Its three major focus areas deal with land management, environmental programs and environmental
information. SADC-ELMS is currently initiating several projects involving land use issues throughout the region. SADC-ELMS stresses equity-led growth based on many of the goals set out in Agenda 21, which was a product of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio in 1992. Furthermore, SADC-ELMS seeks to ensure that the environment, sustainable development and economic and social factors are all given due consideration when making environmental decisions. SADC-ELMS believes that in order for a development project to be feasible, there must be some clear benefit to the poor, and it must be sustainable. SADC emphasizes the fact that there over 128 million people in the region living in poverty, and that poverty irradication should be a prime goal of the organization.
In recognizing the need for equity-led growth several projects are under way in the Southern African region. The Kalahari-Namib Desertification project is an initiative to combat desertification and to promote sustainable use. This is being done through transboundary management of the resources as the Kalahari and the Namib run through five member states. The project is also integrating the sub-regional action plan with the International Convention to Combat Desertification. There is also a project in progress initiated by the Water sector, also located in Lesotho dealing with the Zambezi river, which is the fourth largest river in the region and flows through eight of the SADC states. This project also utilizes transboundry management of the river basin. This endeavor also promotes sustainable and equitable usage of this precious water resource. By linking the goals of Agenda 21 with equal use for all, SADC is helping to build capacity in the region in order to help the nations of the region to help themselves.
Along these lines, SADC has embarked upon an ambitious environmental education program as one of its environmental projects. In keeping with goal (36) of Agenda 21, which calls for, "expanding education, public awareness and training" SADC-ELMS has established a Regional Environmental Education Program (REEP). Beginning in 1993, the initial function of the SADC Environmental Education Program (SADC-EEP) was to conduct an environmental education inventory of the member states. The SADC-EEP also evaluated the status of environmental education in each member states.
Through the efforts of SADC, it was established that environmental education was not sufficient in many countries of the region, and the states that did attempt to implement an education program lacked capacity and organizational planning to properly institute the policy. This resulted in incoherent and inconsistent programs that did not reflect the concerns and views of the public. It was determined that a more consultative process, with input from various groups in civil society including government NGO’s and the private sector, would be needed. SADC-ELMS then decided that the best strategy to alleviate these inconsistencies was to pursue the formation of a Regional Environmental Education Network (REEN) consisting of environmental experts and contacts in member states throughout the SADC region. This network has benefited the program in its mandate to increase public information, education and participation in environmental issues. The establishment of the REEN has led to several conferences and workshops around the region. Forging links among peoples from each nation of SADC, has facilitated better understanding of issues affecting the environment throughout the region.
Consistent with the aims and goals of the SADC Regional Environmental Education program was the formation of a Regional Environmental Educational Centre (REEC). Once a network of experts and concerned parties was established, and significant agreement on the key issues was reached, the natural progression was to form a unit to carry out the policies of SADC-ELMS. It was with this objective in mind that the Regional Environmental Education Center in Umgeni Valley, South Africa came to life in July, 1997, when it was officially opened. Umgeni Valley, in kwaZulu Natal, is the former site of the South African National Environmental Education Center, and it was felt that it would provide the most suitable location for the regional center. The initial mandate of the REEC was to improve the education network by promoting further contact through facilitating greater exchange of information. The Center was also responsible for conducting environmental education research along with producing educational materials on the environment and sustainable development. Moreover, the REEC embarked on the creation and implementation of an accredited program which would "train trainers" to teach the public about the environment.
Currently the center in Umgeni Valley is preparing to hold its first "environmental training certificate program" beginning in August, 1998. The course will last for two months, to be held at both Rhodes University and at the Umgeni Valley facility. It will consist of two people from various backgrounds from each SADC member state. The students will range from school teachers and administrators to government officials policy makers and even the media. The goal of the program is to expand the environmental network and to assist in building capacity both in and out of government, in order to improve the level of decision making on environmental issues. However, the focus of the program is clearly on the youth of the region, as it is felt that they hold the key to future sustainable development. The program emphasizes integration of the environment into the curriculum of the public school systems in every SADC member state. The program also promotes environmental education at the community level. To this end, SADC-ELMS and the REEC developed a system which accommodates and assist teachers, administrators, and those dealing with youth action programs throughout the region.
Currently, the Regional Environmental Education Network is operating in full swing and is expanding with increased access to information and information technology. The networking group met in early 1998, and eight of the eleven states present named official permanent representatives, and the others expressed great interest in doing so. The Regional Environmental Education Center at Umgeni Valley is also in full operation and provides year-round environmental training, and even hosts workshops for people from around the region who want to learn more about the environment. The Center continues to produce many educational materials on various issues of importance, and works jointly with the member states on many research projects involving the creation of a curriculum for environmental education. The center is also expanding the database of experts and contacts from around the region. SADC-ELMS and the REEC undertake all of these efforts with the goals of expanding environmental knowledge and sharing of information among governments, NGO’s and the public at large. For everyone to benefit from the programs, participation must come from all levels of civil society, and the Environmental Education Program is seeking to foster new and exciting relationships to build on the open communication of the environmental network.
As I am writing this paper, SADC-ELMS is reviewing a report which it commissioned on the current status of environmental education in twelve of the member states of the organization. SADC-ELMS is also busy drafting specific guidelines, to which governments and educators can refer when planning an environmental education strategy that corresponds to the needs of their member states. These guidelines will be introduced at the Environmental Education Association of Southern Africa conference in July, 1998. Following the conference, a workshop will be held at Umgeni Valley to discuss these guidelines. SADC-ELMS along with the REEC have recently published a newsletter keeping interested parties informed of its projects and policies.
IV. CONCLUSION
If the activities of SADC-ELMS with regards to environmental education and the promotion of sustainable development and equity-led growth are any indication of things to come, than the future of the Southern African region appears to be promising. Following centuries of oppression and colonialism which has kept the people of the region from realizing their full potential, SADC is helping the states of the region to help themselves. SADC's work is essential in guiding experts, politicians, advisors, teachers and children toward sustainable growth that can benefit all, while taking environmental concerns into account. By addressing these issues, so central to the region, SADC-ELMS is providing a blueprint of hope and prosperity for all who live in Southern Africa.
V. BIBLIOGRAPHY
, July/August 1994, Vol. 38(6), P 45-47