Written on 20 May 2022. Posted in Environment & Natural Resources

8TH MEETING OF THE SECTORAL COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT  

PRESS STATEMENT 

THE 8^TH MEETING OF THE EAC SECTORAL COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES CONCLUDED IN ARUSHA, UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANZANIA. THE OBJECTIVE OF THE FIVE-DAY MEETING WAS TO REVIEW PROGRESS AND PROVIDE POLICY GUIDANCE ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT MATTERS. 

THE 8TH SECTORAL COUNCIL MEETING STARTED ON MONDAY, 16 MAY, 2022 WITH THE SESSION OF SENIOR OFFICIALS WHICH RUNS FROM 16TH TO 18TH MAY, 2022 FOLLOWED BY THE COORDINATION COMMITTEE (SESSION OF PERMANENT/PRINCIPAL/UNDER SECRETARIES) ON 19TH MAY 2022 AND THE MINISTERIAL SESSION ON 20TH MAY 2022.

AFTER THE SUCCESSFUL MEETING OF THE SECTORAL COUNCIL, THE EAC MINISTERS IN CHARGE OF ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT MADE THE FOLLOWING DECISIONS;

1. ON PREVIOUS DECISIONS AND DIRECTIVES, THE SECTORAL COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES TOOK NOTE OF THE PROGRESS IN IMPLEMENTING THE PREVIOUS DECISIONS AND DIRECTED THE SECRETARIAT AND PARTNER STATES TO EXPEDITE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE OUTSTANDING DECISIONS/DIRECTIVES PARTICULALRY ON OUTSTANDING DIRECTIVE ON WATER RELEASE AND ABSTRACTION POLICY FOR LVBC. 

2. ON EAC FORESTRY POLICY AND EAC FORESTRY STRATEGY, THE SECTORAL COUNCIL CONSIDERED AND ADOPTED THE VALIDATED DRAFT EAC FORESTRY POLICY AND DRAFT EAC FORESTRY STRATEGY AND DIRECTED THE SECRETARIAT AND THE PARTNER STATES TO MOBILIZE RESOURCES TO IMPLEMENT THE EAC FORESTRY POLICY AND STRATEGY AND REPORT TO THE 9^TH SECTORAL COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT.

3. ON TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS, THE SECTORAL COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT DIRECTED THE SECRETARIAT TO FINALIZE THE DEVELOPMENT OF A REGIONAL BIODIVERSITY STRATEGY AND ACTION PLAN AND REGIONAL PROJECT ON ITS INITIAL IMPLEMENTATION.

4. ON AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS, THE SECTORAL COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT URGED PARTNER STATES TO ENSURE THE SUSTAINABILITY OF THE CONSTRUCTED HAND WASHING FACILITIES IN THEIR RESPECTIVE AREAS.

5. ON DEVELOPMENT OF THE EAC WATER POLICY AND INTEGRATED WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT STRATEGY, THE SECTORAL COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT CONSIDERED AND ADOPT THE FINAL DRAFT EAC WATER POLICY AND DRAFT EAC INTEGRATED WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT STRATEGY AND DIRECTED THE SECRETARIAT TO PREPARE A PROPOSAL FOR ESTABLISHMENT OF THE SECTORAL COMMITTEE UNDER ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCE AS PER ARTICLE 9(1) OF THE TREATY AND REPORT PROGRESS THE 9^THSECTORAL COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT.

6. ON CLIMATE CHANGE, THE SECTORAL COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT TOOK NOTE OF THE PROGRESS MADE BY THE SECRETARIAT IN THE ACCREDITATION AS REGIONAL IMPLEMENTING ENTITY FOR ADAPTATION FUND AND REGIONAL ACCREDITED ENTITY FOR GREEN CLIMATE FUND AND DIRECTED THE SECRETARIAT TO MOBILIZE RESOURCES THROUGH THE MULTILATERAL IMPLEMENTING ENTITIES PENDING THE COMPLETION OF THE ACCREDITATION PROCESS.

7. ON ESTABLISHMENT OF AN EAC CARBON CREDIT EXCHANGE MECHANISM, THE SECTORAL COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT DIRECTED THE SECRETARIAT TO EXPEDITE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE EAC CARBON CREDIT EXCHANGE MECHANISM AND REPORT PROGRESS TO THE 9^TH SECTORAL COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT AND URGED PARTNER STATES TO BUILD CAPACITY ON CARBON MARKETS MECHANISM.

8. ON PROGRAMMES AND PROJECTS ON ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES, THE SECTORAL COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT DIRECTED THE SECRETARIAT TO MOBILIZE RESOURCES TO ENSURE UPSCALING OF THE PROJECT ON IMPROVING COLLABORATIVE CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT OF TRANSBOUNDARY NATURAL CAPITAL IN EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY AND ENSURE SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION OF PROGRAMMES AND PROJECTS UNDER THE SECTOR.
   

9. ON PROGRAMMES ON HARNESSING NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS FOR ENHANCED CLIMATE ACTION IN THE EAC REGION, THE SECTORAL COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT DIRECTED THE SECRETARIAT TO EXPEDITE THE FINALIZATION OF THE PROGRAMME PROPOSAL ON HARNESSING NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS FOR ENHANCING CLIMATE ACTION IN THE EAC REGION AND REPORT THE PROGRESS TO THE 9TH SECTORAL COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT
   

10. ON EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENT WEEK, THE SECTORAL COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT, DIRECTED THE SECRETARIAT TO MOBILIZE RESOURCES TO ENABLE ORGANIZING THE EAC ENVIRONMENT WEEK ANNUALLY.

11. ON ENHANCED WATER AND LIVELIHOOD SECURITY IN THE EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY REGION, THE SECTORAL COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT DIRECTED THE SECRETARIAT TO EXPEDITE THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROJECT ON ENHANCED WATER AND LIVELIHOOD SECURITY IN THE EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY REGION.

-ENDS-

For more information, please contact:

Simon Peter Owaka
Senior Public Relations Officer
Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Department
EAC Secretariat
Arusha, Tanzania
Tel: +255 768 552087
Email: sowaka [at] eachq.org

About the East African Community Secretariat:

The East African Community (EAC) is a regional intergovernmental organisation of six Partner States, comprising Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda, with its headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.

The EAC Secretariat is ISO 9001: 2015 Certified