Environment Protection
IGAD region faces a myriad of sustainable development and environmental challenges of which sustainable management of environmental resources is one of them. Poverty, rapid population growth, inappropriate land use and land tenure systems (policies) and poor exploitation of energy resources are some of the major problems that are the root causes for the deterioration of the natural capital base of the region. This exacerbated by recurrent drought and other natural and man-made disasters, results in intensified poverty and under-development, which in turn, accelerates the degradation of the environmental resources, thereby closing the vicious circle. Nevertheless, the IGAD region is endowed with substantial environmental resources that if properly protected and managed, the degraded environmental resources would regain their past productivity within a short time. The environmental sustainability can be achieved through awareness creation, development and strengthening of appropriate environmental policies and strategies, by putting in place relevant legislative and regulatory frameworks, including ratification of regional and global conventions.
The programme has the following components:
(1) Environmental Assessment
- Revision of the IGAD Environment Strategy
- Replacement of Current Meteosat Receiving Stations
- African Monitoring of the Environment for Sustainable Development (AMESD) Project
- IGAD Environment Outlook Process
(2) Cooperation in Addressing Environmental Challenges
- Promoting Environmental Education and Training
- Strengthening Environmental Pollution Control
- Sustainable Management of Trans-boundary Natural Resources and Biodiversity through Building Capacity in Environment Assessment and Monitoring
- Environmental Component of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD)
(3) Multilateral Environmental Agreements and Conventions
- Implementation of IGAD Sub-regional Action Programme (IGAD-SRAP) in the context of the UNCCD
2. Implementation of the Community Exchange and Training Project (CETP)
3. A Partnership Initiative for Sustainable Land Management in IGAD Sub-region