Ministers responsible for Environment, Natural Resources and Tourism from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) have called for prioritisation of policies, projects, and activities on environment, natural resources and tourism in the region.
The call was made during the virtual meeting of the Ministers responsible for Environment, Natural Resources and Tourism which was held on 22 June 2023 to review progress on activities and projects supporting the implementation of SADC Protocols and strategies to support environment, natural resources and tourism sectors.
In her remarks, Honourable Vera Kamtukule, Minister of Tourism of the Republic of Malawi on behalf of Honourable Eve Bazaiba Masudi, Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Chairperson of SADC Ministers responsible for Environment, Natural Resources and Tourism, emphasised the significance of advancing programmes and activities in these sectors, as they have a major impact in shaping our surroundings and play a key role in cultural heritage, as well as significant contribution to socio-economic development.
As outlined in the SADC Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) (2020-2030) under the pillar of cross-cutting issues, Honourable Kamtukule emphasised that these sectors are intertwined and serve a significant role in maintaining the balance of ecosystems, providing habitat for wildlife, plants and animals.
She expressed appreciation to Member States for their unwavering commitment, stating that it demonstrated the utmost significance in efforts to build the SADC we want, which incorporates peace, inclusiveness, competitiveness, a middle-to high-income industrialised region in which SADC citizens enjoy sustainable economic well-being, freedom, and justice.
Ambassador Joseph Nourrice, the SADC Deputy Executive Secretary responsible for Corporate Affairs who represented His Excellency Mr Elias M. Magosi, the Executive Secretary of SADC emphasised that sustainable management, conservation and protection of the environment, natural resources, and tourism development are central in the development agenda as prescribed in the RISDP 2020-2030 and the SADC Vision 2050.
Ambassador Joseph Nourrice reiterated the urgent need for the SADC region to address challenges such as environmental degradation, climate change impacts, illegal harvesting of natural resources, and under-development of tourism, which are recurrent, pervasive and significantly affecting agriculture, infrastructure, human health, terrestrial and marine ecosystems as well as water resources.
Ministers were updated on the status of signing of the Agreement amending the Protocol on Development of Tourism. They also approved the new Board of Directors for winding-up the Regional Tourism Organization of Southern Africa (RETOSA).
Regarding the Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs), Ministers noted priorities for the SADC region, and agreed to speak in one voice during negotiations and implementation of decisions from MEAs. These include; Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES); Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD), United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), among others.
During the meeting, Ministers encouraged Member States to fully implement the decisions taken in the meeting to accelerate the process of SADC regional integration and socio-economic development.
Ministers noted the establishment of Tourism Working Groups and operationalization of the SADC RegionalTourism Private Sector Platform.
During the meeting, the Ministers approved the following;
On Natural Resources management, approval was made for the SADC-CITES Engagement Strategy 2022-2026; SADC Law Enforcement and Anti-Poaching Strategy (LEAP); Wildlife Based Economy Strategy Framework; Costed Action Plan (CAP) for operationalization of the SADC Forestry Strategy 2020 – 2030 and the TFCA revised Programme.
On Environment and Climate Change, Ministers approved SADC Blue Economy Strategy and Action Plan and its associated studies SADC Drought Risk Management and Mitigation Strategy (DRIMMS); SADC Circular Economy Strategy and SADC Marine Pollution Response Plan. Further, Ministers, were also able to take note on the implementation of the Global Climate Change Alliance Plus (GCCA+) Programme among others.
