AFRICAN PARLIAMENTARIAN COLLOQUIUM ON
MULTILATERAL ENVIRONMENTAL AGREEMENTS (MEAs)
Theme: “MEAs in National and Regional Development”
Kampala, 6-9 June 2012

Presentation Coverage
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Defining mainstreaming and its relevance to MEAs implementation
Rationale for Mainstreaming
The role of MEAs in sustainable development
The role of Parliamentarians in MEAs implementation
Approaches to MEAs mainstreaming
Challenges in mainstreaming MEAs
Some examples and initiatives in Africa
Mainstreaming Outcomes
Conclusions

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Environmental mainstreaming has been defined as the informed inclusion of environmental considerations into the decisions of institutions that drive national, local and sectoral development policy, rules, plans, investment and action.
The need for environmental mainstreaming in development policy has been motivated by the realization that:
 The economy and society especially in Africa are intimately dependent upon the health of the environment;
 A large proportion of the wealth of developing countries and poor people consists of environmental assets;

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Poor environmental management threatens development and complicates poverty reduction efforts;
Mainstreaming therefore promises to not only minimise risks and problems in the development process; it should also assist in highlighting environmental potentials to enhance sustainable development;
Mainstreaming has the potential to facilitate incorporation of local beliefs, norms and values into national development policy;
Hence it has to be done both at national (such as planning and finance ministries), local (where daily decisions are made) and sectoral levels (government departments, business and other stakeholders organizations).

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Integrated policy interventions that avoid development vs environment arguments;
More efficient planning of environmental assets and environmental hazard management;
Support technological innovation that is inspired and informed by nature;
Informed debates on policy formulation on big issues
Improve productivity, resilience and adaptability of social and economic systems

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Multilateral environmental agreements refer to a number of legally binding international instruments which states use to achieve specific environmental goals. MEAs are therefore primarily environmental instruments.
According to UNEP there are over 500 conventions related to environment; over 320 of these are regional and a majority have been adopted after the 1972
Stockholm Conference on Environment and Development;
It is possible to categorize MEAs into three groups: core environmental conventions; global conventions relevant to the environment, including regional ones; and others restricted by scope and geography;
We are here more concerned with core environmental conventions, though regional environmental conventions applicable to Africa are a key part of this discussion.

 In terms of subject matter MEAs may be divided into the following categories:
 Biodiversity related conventions such as the CBD and its protocols, and the ITPGRFA,
 The atmosphere conventions such as the UNFCCC, the Ozone
Convention and the Protocols thereunder,
 The land conventions such as the UNCCD,
 The chemicals and hazardous wastes conventions such as the Basle,
Bamako, Stockholm conventions; and the POPs
 Regional seas conventions covering the Mediterranean, Kuwait,
West and Central Africa, East Africa

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The three Rio Conventions (UNFCCC, CBD and the UNCCD) are widely considered core sustainable development MEAs;
The rest generally address sustainable utilization of natural resources and the environment or the protection of the environment to ensure its sustainability
MEAs provide a number of advantages for parties that are important for national development.
These include strengthening capacity of parties to meet their obligations through technical and financial support; strengthening scientific basis for decision making; and strengthening international cooperation.

MEAs Benefits/Advantages
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Protecting public health
Improving governance
International comity and respect, and solidarity
Financial and technical assistance
Facilitating long term economic benefits: sustainable development
Facilitating trade
Facilitating changes in domestic environmental law by elevating the importance of an issue

 Greater participation and interaction between environment and development stakeholders. Agenda 21 has provided significant impetus to public and community mobilization
 Integrated environment-development policy and associated political will/leadership
 Inclusion of environment-development linkages in national and sector plans: the NAPAs, NEAPs, NBSPs and NSSDs have drawn considerably from MEAs processes to inform national actions

 Inclusion of environment-development linkages in budgets and fiscal instruments,
 Improved domestic and foreign resource mobilization for environmental investments
 Sustained behavioral change by individuals, institutions and society in both private and public domain
 Production, consumption and waste management in sectors and localities are informed by environmental considerations

General principles of environmental mainstreaming
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Leadership, focusing on mobilization of political will, engaging with champions
Integration, strengthening the development-environment interface
Focusing on key sectors, especially the economic sectors
Strengthening dialogue and ownership
Subsidiarity – making sure decisions are made at the lowest level where change is expected
Utilize upstream processes, existing analytical/planning processes
Transparency and accountability, information on issues, decisions made and reasons
Environmental sustainability: the process should take into account major environmental processes, potentials, stresses and limits

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Review the political economy and governance framework affecting development and environment
Convene a multi-stakeholders group to steer the mainstreaming process
Identify links between environment and development
Propose desirable environment and development outcomes
Map institutional roles and responsibilities for each of the links and desirable outcomes
Identify entry points for environmental manistreaming in decision making process

Overcoming sectoral barriers
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A key challenge for mainstreaming is how to create incentives for non environment groups/stakeholders to respond positively
This may require use of language that is not too environment specific and aligning positive arguments to those groups own goals and aspirations.
The following may be used to incentivize various stakeholders:

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Conduct expenditure review and make business case for environmental mainstreaming
Establish or use existing forum for debates and consensus building
Reflect agreed changes in key mainstream policy, plan and budget documentation
Promote key investments in environment-development links
Develop integrated institutional systems and associated capacities
Establish key indicators and criteria and accountability mechanisms to facilitate monitoring and continuous improvement

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The prevailing development paradigm which treats environment as an institutional and economic ‘externality’.
Lack of data, information, skills and institutional capacity to address environment-development linkage
Inadequate precedent in environmental mainstreaming to guide policy development
Limited political will to go the extra mile in the development pathway

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Developing a green low carbon
Improving country resilience
Securing environmental foundations for development
Improving cross sector environmental benefits and reducing costs
Focusing on a hybrid outcome, not a one way environment into development outcome
Reversing the downward spiral of environment and poverty
Integrating poor people’s environmental needs; and
Policies for better environmental governance

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Increasing stakeholders awareness and demands
National policies and legislation
Values of progressive organizations
Donor conditions and initiatives
International commitments
Major environmental events, such as disasters

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Promoting effective environmental mainstreaming through national learning groups in Tanzania and Zambia
Effective mainstreaming using strategic environmental assessment: greening poverty reduction strategies in Benin
Effective mainstreaming at municipal level: Open space planning; and integrated metropolitan environmental policy:
Durban, and Cape Town South Africa respectively
Promoting mainstreaming through overarching policy instruments in Malawi: Environment, natural resources and climate change made policy priorities in the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy – Malawi’s PRSP equivalent

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Government departments, sector departments and aid agencies assume environmental responsibilities and routinely address environmental issues, by factoring them into their decisions
Environmental departments/agencies focus on coordination, advisory and monitoring functions
There are a number of specific outcomes to be promoted; they include:

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Participation and democratic process outcomes, expanding space for stakeholder participation and understanding of the importance of environment to the development process: incorporating MEAs such as Principle
10 of Agenda 21 and related
Policy and political outcomes specifying macroeconomic, fiscal, social and development policy, constitutions, and statements of national visions incorporate environmental considerations: incorporating MDGs and
MEAs such as UNFCCC, CBD

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Planning outcomes: including environment development linkages in national development and poverty reduction strategies; sector and implementation strategies: taking into account MEAs such as UNFCCC (NAPAs), CBD (NBSAPs);
NEAPs and NSSD from UNCED
Budget outcomes: environment and development linkages reflected in national and sector budgets; and fiscal instruments informed by environment-development linkages: incorporating UNFCCC (carbon taxation), Vienna
Convention on the Ozone Layer (phase out ozone depleting substances)

 Institutional and capacity outcomes:
 Skills, mandates and resources available for mainstreaming
 Finance, planning and environment departments have capacity to integrate environment-development linkages in budget decision making
 Systemic links between institutions to facilitate flow of information and ideas
 Environment-development criteria are recognized as cross cutting norms for planning and monitoring purposes
 Agenda 21, UNFCCC,

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Investment outcomes including improved domestic and international resource mobilization for environment-development investment; and a coherent set of incentives and disincentives to facilitate behavioural change:
Agenda 21, CBD
Behavioural outcomes: environment is considered a normal, accepted and expected part of doing business on part of individuals, institutions and society both in private and public sectors; processes of production, consumption and waste management are informed by environmental considerations; and the media and public interest bodies regularly address environmental issues;
Agenda 21, Basle, Bamako and Stockholm Conventions; Montreal Protocol on
Ozone Layer etc; and
Overall developmental outcomes: improved productivity and sustainability of use of environmental assets; better management of environmental hazards; better access to environmental and natural resources:
UNFCCC, CBD and its Nagoya and Cartagena protocols