Hon Dr. Terezya Huvisa MP, Minister of State, Vice President’s Office and President of the African Ministerial Conference on Environment;
Honourable Ministers;
Mrs Naoko Ishii, Chief Executive Officer of the Global Environment Facility;
Your Excellency Mrs Connie Hedegaard, EU’s Commissioner for Climate Change;
Heads of Delegation;
Distinguished Guests;
Ladies and Gentlemen;
I thank you Madam President and members of the Bureau for inviting me to officiate at the closing ceremony of the 14th Session of the African Ministerial Conference on Environment (AMCEN). I know you have had very busy five days of intense deliberations. I am happy to hear that the Conference has been a resounding success. I sincerely commend and congratulate you all for a job very well done.
Allow me, on behalf of the Government and the people of the United Republic of Tanzania, to express my heartfelt thanks and gratitude to you, distinguished delegates, for selecting Tanzania to be the President of the AMCEN for the next two years. It is indeed a great honour not only to my Minister but also, to Tanzania and the people of this country. I would like to assure this august assembly that we shall do our best to live up to your expectation. I take this opportunity also, to assure you, Madam President, my personal support as well as that of your entire team as you undertake to deliver on the responsibilities of your high office.
Ladies and Gentlemen;
I totally agree with you that our planet is facing serious environmental degradation threats. Inappropriate human decisions and actions are responsible for this state of affairs. Developing countries particularly those in Sub-Saharan Africa are suffering the most for they lack the capacity to adapt and mitigate the effects of climate change and environmental degradation. As we all know this is the case because the majority of these countries are either poor or marginally above the poverty line. As a result they do not have adequate financial resources, technology and human skills to respond effectively to the challenges.
It is important to note that, these countries contribute the least to the serious environment challenges threatening our planet today. As a matter of fact they contribute minimally to carbon emissions which are responsible for global warming. This fact, speaks volumes about our interconnections of our world and environmental matters. We all suffer from the negative effects of climate change.
Ladies and Gentlemen;
One notable negative effect of climate in our part of the world is demonstrated by weather patterns which have changed significantly. These days, in Tanzania, for example, rainfall has become less predictable and droughts have become both frequent in occurrence and last longer compared to few years back. When rains come, they do so with vengeance causing floods with accompanying destruction of crops, properties and even lives. Sea levels are rising at alarming pace and several parts of coastal regions are at risk of being sub-merged like our town of Pangani. There are already some parts that are now completely under sea as is the case of Mazwe Island near Pangani.
In many parts of Tanzania, temperature has increased by about 0.2 to 0.6 degree centigrade for the past 30 years. The impact of increased temperatures is evidenced by the fast decline of snow on Mount Kilimanjaro and the advent of malaria in high altitude temperate regions where in the past they were malaria free. These days mosquitoes do survive because of rising temperatures. There are several more examples, which I trust have been discussed at this Conference or previous ones.
Honorable Ministers;
It is wise and justified therefore, that those countries which contribute the most to global carbon emission should bear the biggest burden in the efforts to redress the situation. The principle of equitable but differentiated responsibility is both rational and justified. Those who pollute more should shoulder a bigger burden of cleaning up and rehabilitating the environment. They also have a responsibility to those who suffer because of their actions and inaction.
Unfortunately, they are not doing enough. Whereas they realise and accept responsibility they fall short of taking the right actions at the appropriate time. Fortunately, these are countries with the financial resources, technology and skills to do it. The only thing that remains wanting on their part is political will. It is this deficit which has made global efforts at all COPs and other fora fail to reach the desired outcomes. Every time things fall short, it is because of their lack of whole hearted commitment and readiness to take action.
Ladies and Gentlemen;
AMCEN should do everything possible to deliver developed countries, the big emitters to do more. I know it is the responsibility of all of us including Heads of State and Government, however, policies are shaped at the level of Ministers who are your counterparts. If you engage them and succeed in convincing them everything else will fall in place.
You should also deliver them with regards to meeting their commitments to the developing countries. At every conference and every fora, commitment of support are made and announced but they are not fulfilled as promised. I would like AMCEN to be more proactive in following up on these commitments. In these endeavours, identify and work with persons and institutions of goodwill who happen to be plenty in the civil society both on the continent and abroad.
AMCEN has to strive to effectively perform its advocacy role for the sake of the planet which we all call home, whether rich or poor or whether you live in the developed or developing world. If we do not put our act together and reverse the situation we will all become poor, hungry and perish.
Ladies and Gentlemen;
As we talk about the responsibilities of the developed world we should not forget that we have a responsibility as well. The primary one is that of ensure we put in place policies that are friendly to the environment and take measures that will advance and project the environment. There are times we institute policies and measures that are harmful to the environment. Worse still there actions that rake place which are harmful to the environment and we do not take measures. To some there is lack of political will while to others it is a function of lack of knowledge.
We must make sure that we overcome all these deficit. We must know that clearing of forests for whatever reason worsen carbon emission because we are depleting the Ozone. The challenge is about getting the right mix to ensure sustainability. Overgrazing degrades the soils and forests with dire consequences. We have to device the right ratios that will give man enough meat, milk and hide while protecting the environment. We must protect water sources by protecting the vegetation cover around them. We must also ensure that we do not pollute the rivers with pollutants. I have mentioned a few examples to remind ourselves of policy requirements and responsibility.
But we also have a responsibility of building formidable institutions to decide and deal with environmental issues. Also we need to ensure that institutions are well resourced in terms of budget, technology and manpower.
Last but not least, we wish ourselves every success in the Doha Meeting. You should work together to ensure that Africa’s needs and concerns are addressed in the forthcoming 18th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the Climate Change Convention that will be held in Doha, November this year. The role of AMCEN in coordinating the Africa’s participation is critical. We have done this before by working closely with the African Union Committee of Heads of State and Government on Climate Change. I am quite sure you will be able to do it again this time round. All that we have to do is to remain focused and vigilant on the matter.
Let our message to the whole world be simple and clear; that we cannot continue to destroy the environment by our actions and inactions. If we continue doing that we are inviting a major human catastrophe because the earth will be depleted of its natural and environmental resources. There will be no more food to feed the world, no more water to drink, and no clean air to breathe. It will be a total disaster and no living thing will survive. Indeed, the world has to heed to the words of Pope John Paul II, who once said “the earth will not continue to offer its harvest, except with faithful stewardship. We cannot say we love the land and then take steps to destroy it for use by future generations”.
Madam President;
Honorable Ministers;
Distinguished guests;
Ladies and Gentlemen;
Before I conclude, it would be remiss of me if I did not commend the organizers of the Conference for their excellent arrangements. They have done a wonderful job. I also extend my special gratitude to EU, Norway, DFID, UNEP (particularly regional Office for Africa) and UNDP for their generous support and assistance that facilitated the successful holding of the Conference. I also convey my sincere congratulations to the members of the civil society, non-governmental- organisations, the private sector and the media for their active participation.
For those who are here in Arusha for the first time, I am sure you have got some time off your busy schedule to discover Arusha. This is a tourist city, so it is an opportunity for you to see some of the wonders of the world. This is a city where you can combine business and pleasure with ease. So don’t leave this place without seeing Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, Mount Kilimanjaro and many other natural attractions. For those who would want to relax on the beautiful sands along the beach, then Zanzibar is the place. I am sure there will be no regrets!
After those many words, it is now my singular honour and pleasure to declare the 14th Session of the African Ministerial Conference on Environment officially closed. I wish you a safe journey back home.
Thank you for your kind attention!