African Developing Nations Get Forest Help
10/14/99
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RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:
Title: DEVELOPING Nations Get Forest Help
Source: Environment News Service, http://www.ens.lycos.com/
Status: Copyright 1999, contact source for permission to reprint
Date: October 14, 1999
NEW YORK, New York, October 14, 1999 (ENS) - The European Commission
(EC) and UNDP's Sustainable Energy and Environment Division (SEED)
have launched a joint initiative to strengthen sustainable forestry
management and to support sustainable-livelihood programs in
Cameroon, Guyana, and Malawi. The EC will commit US$2.06 million to
the effort, which will be administered through UNDP's Programme on
Forests (PROFOR). Activities under the new collaboration are expected
to begin shortly.
The initiative will make an important contribution to preserving
forests and to promoting the sustainable use of forestry resources by
consolidating existing efforts and designing national programs that
both protect forests and fight poverty through sustainable-livelihood
strategies.
In the African country of Cameroon, the program will strengthen
national capacities in sustainable forestry management and will
create a mechanism to coordinate and exchange information on forestry
and sustainable- livelihood issues (the Intersectional Consultative
Forum on Forests).
In South American Guyana, the program will work with public and
private sector partnerships to design practical strategies for the
sustainable and economically viable use of the country's forestry
resources. Activities will include looking at technical, financial,
and policy requirements to achieve sustainable forest management.
In the southeast African nation of Malawi, the effort will respond to
locally identified priorities, such as the need for innovative
finance mechanisms, capacity building, support for planning
mechanisms, and the development of key indicators needed for policy
formulation.
The initiative forms a strategic alliance between UNDP and the EC
that underscores the high priority given to forestry issues by both
organizations. UNDP's Programme on Forests builds on the
recommendations of the Commission on Sustainable Development's
Intergovernmental Panel on Forests and works at both national and
international levels to advance sustainable forest management.
The Programme develops and tests innovative approaches such as
private-public partnerships that provide sustainable livelihoods for
people dependent on forestry resources. The UNDP/EC partnership will
contribute to the development cooperation goals of the EC in the
areas of forestry and biodiversity conservation, as well as in
capacity building for improved forestry management.