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Third GEF Assembly 2006
29-30 August 2006 | Cape Town, South Africa
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Highlights from Monday, 28 August
Cape Town International Convention Center
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| Session 1: Impact of Land Degradation on People's Livelihoods and the Enivornment-Strategies for Sustainable Land Management |
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Addressing the NGO Forum, Monique Barbut, GEF CEO/Chair, called on participants to: work for innovative solutions; engage with the private sector; and view the RAF as empowering for countries. |
NGO Forum Moderator Rex Horoi, Executive Director, Foundation of the Peoples of the South Pacific International (left), underscored the need for constructive dialogue between policy-makers and civil society. Noel Maxwell Oettlé, Rural Programme Manager, Environmental Monitoring Group (EMG) (right),
emphasized the need for being creative and taking into account local knowledge when addressing SLM issues. |
| Session 2: The Climate Change and Energy Challenge |
Session Moderator Leslie Walling, Executive Director, Caribbean Conservation Association (CCA) (left)
Richard Worthington, Earthlife Africa, Sustainable Energy and Climate Change Project Coordinator (center), discussed South Africa 's future energy options. He demonstrated that investing in clean energy reduces the country's contribution to climate change, is cost effective, creates jobs and reduces poverty. Questioning whether GEF grants will provide social and economic justice,
Annie Sugrue, Southern Africa Coordinator, Citizens United for Renewable Energy and Sustainability (CURES) (right), highlighted the disconnect between political and financial will in South Africa for developing renewable energy programmes. |
| Session 3: Biodiversity-Moving from Debate to Action? |
| Willem Van Riet, Peace Parks Foundation, South Africa (right), illustrated how transfrontier conservation areas (TFCAs) seek to manage environmental and cultural resources across borders while fostering sustainable economic development, regional peace and stability. Participants discussed the need to address: equity between States and communities; benefits to indigenous peoples; and an integrated ecosystem approach in developing TFCAs. Van Riet outlined three phases in negotiating TFCAs: political acceptance in the form of a Memorandum of Understanding; project planning leading to a treaty; and donor funding for implementation.
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| Session Moderator Felipe Villagran, MERO LEC A.C. |
| Lucy Mulenkei, Indigenous Information Network (right), called on the GEF to review its protected areas policy vis-à-vis indigenous peoples, following the CBD COP-8 recommendations. |
| Forum on Sustainable Land and Water Management: A GEF Agenda for Combating Environmental Degradation and Promoting Sustainable Livelihoods |
Co-Chair Gunilla Bjorklund (left); Gregoire de Kalbermatten, Deputy Executive Secretary, UN Convention to Combat Desertification, stressed that land and water issues present an opportunity for the GEF, noted regional implementation as a key element of the CCD, and supported the land degradation strategy developed for GEF-4. |
| Mobilizing Science and Communities to Combat Land Degradation: Role of Knowledge Management and Indicators for Optimizing Impact: Co-Chair Bjorklund (left) and Moderators Maryam Niamir-Fuller, Principal Technical Advirsor, UNDP, and Michael Stocking, GEF Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel |
| Facilitator Len Berry, Director, Florida Center for Environmental Studies (left), and Co-Chairs Mark Mwandosya, Minister of Environment, Tanzania (center), and Helen Esuene, Minister of Environment, Nigeria |
| Noting that 80 percent of the country's population is rural, Laurent Sedogo, Minister of Environment, Burkina Faso, outlined national measures to combat land degradation, emphasizing that it is a long-term process that requires political leadership and the involvement of all stakeholders. |
| Multilateral Collaboration in Sustainable Land Management |
| Frank Pinto, Executive Coordinator, UNDP (center), supported pastoralism as the best type of land use in drylands, and encouraged the use of innovative financing mechanisms such as payments for ecosystem services. |
| Warren Evans, World Bank,
underscored the need to better understand climate change impacts when discussing SLM. |
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Bindu Lohani, Asian Development Bank, reported on the Bank's activities on SLM. |
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GEF CEO/Chair Monique Barbut announced that during the morning session, the GEF Council endorsed the new replenishment of the GEF at US$3.13 billion. She said climate change is the most pressing global issue and should be tackled at all levels. |
| Martin Mokonyama, Deputy Director General for Transport, South Africa (left), explained how the government is using the 2010 Football World Cup as an opportunity to implement a low emissions transport system.
Achim Steiner, UNEP Executive Director (right), argued that the 2006 Football World Cup has set a high environmental standard but that it can be improved upon. He urged South Africa to engage with the private sector in fostering innovation. |
| Opening Reception:
Kirstenbosch
Gardens |
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