Progress on Africa’s Regional Preparations for Rio+20

1. Progress on Africa’s Regional Preparations for Rio+20 A Presentation by the Environment, Population and Urbanization Cluster to: 12th Session of the Regional Coordination Mechanism of UN Agencies and Organizations working in Africa in support of the African Union and its NEPAD Progamme 22 November 2011, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

2. From Rio to Rio UN Conference on Environment and Development World Summit on Sustainable Development UN Conference on the Human Environment

3. Outline • Background • Africa Regional Preparatory Process • Progress Since RCM 11 • Highlights of Africa Consensus Statement • Way Forward to Rio+20

4. Background of Rio+20 • Background • Decided by UN General Assembly - Resolution 64/236(A/RES/64/236) • 20-22 June 2012, Rio de Janeioro, Brazil • 20th anniversary of the 1992 UNCED • 10th anniversary of the 2002 WSSD • Objective • To secure renewed political commitment for sustainable development, assess progress and gaps in the implementation of the outcomes of the major Summits on SD; and address new and emerging challenges • Themes of the Conference • A green economy in the context of SD and poverty eradication • The institutional framework for sustainable development

5. Africa Regional Preparatory process • Regional preparations spearheaded by ECA jointly with the AUC and AfDB, in strong partnership with RECs, UNEP, and UNDP Objective of the preparations • To guide and facilitate consultations in order to ensure the coordination of Africa’s preparations for the Conference in an effective and efficient manner • Intent To: • Build consensus on Africa’s key SD concerns and priorities; • Effectively articulate them; and • Ensure that they are adequately reflected in Rio+20 outcomes

6. Progress Since RCM 11 (i) • RCM-Africa 11 was held under the theme “Rio+20”, providing a platform to raise awareness and mobilize support to Africa’s effective preparation • Recommended that: • RCM-Africa clusters should play an active and substantive role in regional preparations towards Rio+20 • The preparations and inputs to Rio+20 should be based on a bottom up approach • ECA and partners undertook activities, which took into account the recommendations of RCM 11

7. Progress since RCM 11 (ii) • Workshop on Institutional and Strategic Frameworks for Sustainable development (ISFSD) in Africa (March 2011) • Organized by ECA in collaboration with the AUC, AfDB, UNEP and UNDP • Attended by experts and policy makers from economic, Social and environmental Sectors • Examined institutions, policies and strategies for SD at regional, subregional and national level • Agreed on recommendations to achieve effective ISFSD and next steps towards effective regional preparations for Rio+20

8. Progress since RCM 11 (iii) • Workshop on Sustainable Development indicator Framework for Africa (March 2011) • Organized by ECA in collaboration with the AUC, AfDB, UNEP and UNDP • Attended by policy-makers and experts from social, economic and environmental Sectors, and National Statistical Offices • Made recommendations on the way forward towards systematically measuring and tracking progress on SD • Agreed on proposed indicator Framework for SD and a compendium of SD indicators

9. Progress since RCM 11 (iv) • 17th AU Summit, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea (June - July 2011) • Cluster held a High-level roundtable on Rio+20 at the margins of the Summit on “Mobilizing African leadership for an Effective Regional Preparatory Process for Rio+20” Decision Adopted by the Summit • APPROVES that Africa be represented by a spokesperson to negotiate with one single voice at the international preparatory meetings for Rio+20 • MANDATES the Republic of Congo to coordinate at the political level, in consultation with Member States, Africa’s preparations for Rio + 20, in close collaboration with AMCEN and ECA • Calls to TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION the need to strengthen, consolidate and transform UNEP into an international specialized institution for the environment based in Nairobi, Kenya

10. Progress since RCM 11 (v) • 4th Special Session of AMCEN (12-16 Sep 2011) Adopted the following: • Bamako Declaration: Reaffirms that Africa will present a common position to Rio+20 • Decision on Green Economy: Welcomes the green economy as a new opportunity to advance Africa’s SD agenda and recognizes that transition to a green economy entails additional costs, which would require new and additional financing • Decision on Institutional Framework for Sustainable Development (IFSD)/International Environmental Governance (IEG): • Acknowledges the need to strengthen the IFSD in order to promote a balanced integration of its three pillars of SD • Support AU decision to take into consideration the need to strengthen, consolidate and transform UNEP into an international specialized institution for the environment

11. Progress since RCM 11 (vi) • Africa Regional Preparatory Conference for Rio+20 (20-25 October 2011) • Organized by ECA jointly with the AUC and the AfDB, in partnership with the RECs, UNEP, UNDESA and UNDP • Comprised an expert and a ministerial segments • Objective: To deliberate on the objective and themes of Rio+20 and other relevant substantive matters, and arrive at a consensus on Africa’s key priorities and concerns to be reflected in the outcomes of Rio+20 • Deliberated on Africa regional reports to Rio+20 on: • Review on Progress towards SD • New and emerging challenges • Green economy in the context of SD and poverty eradication • Institutional and Strategic Frameworks for SD • International Environment Governance (IEG) • Means of implementation: Bridging the gap • Negotiated and adopted the Africa Consensus Statement to Rio+20

12. Elements of the Consensus statement (i) • Preamble • Reaffirms commitment to NEPAD and acknowledges the need to achieve its laudable objectives • Calls on Rio+20 to reinvigorate political will and international commitment to the goals and ideals of SD, to move the SD agenda forward at all levels • Calls on Rio+20 to adopt concrete measures, supported by adequate means to ensure accelerated implementation of SD commitments, including those to be adopted at Rio+20

13. Elements of the Consensus statement (ii) • New and emerging challenges • Expresses concern that Africa’s progress towards SD is being severely compromised by new and emerging challenges such as: • Climate change • Increasing water scarcity • Low resilience to natural disasters • Energy crisis • Food crisis • Recognize that some of the new and emerging challenges could provide opportunities, e.g. spurring transition to a green economy • Call on the international community to provide meaningful support to address new and emerging challenges

14. Elements of the Consensus Statement (iii) • Green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication • Stresses that transition to a green economy could offer new opportunity for advancing Africa’s quest for SD through economic growth, employment creation, and reduction of poverty and inequalities • Highlights the central role of the state in driving the transition to a green economy and the critical role of the private sector • Underscores the need to put in place an international investment strategy in order to facilitate the transition towards green economy • Calls for an agreement on the Global 10-YFP to promote SCP as a contribution by Rio+20 to support the transition to green economies • Cautions against using green economy to create trade barriers or new conditionalities on developing countries

15. Elements of the consensus statement (iv) • Institutional and strategic frameworks for sustainable development • Urges countries to establish, revive and strengthening national sustainable development strategies and national councils • Reaffirms the role of the ECA in promoting a balanced integration of the three pillars of sustainable development in the region • Calls on ECA, AUC, NPCA, AfDB, and RECs to continue facilitating consultative meetings and processes to monitor, evaluate and scale up the implementation of SD commitments by African countries • Recognizes the need to strengthen, consolidate and transform UNEP into an international specialized institution for the environment based in Nairobi, Kenya based on 9 defined characteristics

16. Elements of the Consensus Statement (v) • Means of implementation • Recognizes the critical gaps undermining the fulfillment of international commitments on the achievement of SD in Africa, in the areas of finance, external debt, trade investment, capacity-building, and technology transfer • Emphasizes the need to renew international community’s effort to increase ODA, debt cancellation, technology transfer, and promote equitable trading system, among others • Underlines that Africa needs to: • Capitalize on synergies among means of implementation to ensure the effectiveness of the interventions • Invest financial and human resources efficiently to meet current SD commitments and new commitments from Rio+20

17. Way Forward to Rio+20 • Africa Consensus Statement to Rio+20 will be presented to and endorsed by the African Heads of State and Government during the forthcoming session of the Assembly in January 2012 • Finalization and dissemination of the background reports, elaborated and commissioned by ECA and its partners • Organization of an Africa Day at Rio+20 envisaged to provide a Platform for Africa and partners at the highest level to reflect and deliberate on Africa’s priorities as stated in the consensus statement • Support to African stakeholders to effectively participate in the Rio+20 Summit, as well as key meetings on the Road to Rio+20 • To address the problem of integration of the three pillars of SD, national delegations should include ministers in charge of planning, finance, economic, social and environmental affairs • Africa’s effective participation require that the AUC, AfDB, ECA, UNEP, and other partner institutions consult on regular basis to mobilize adequate resources

18. Key Meetings in the run up to Rio+20

19. Thank you