By Politico staff writer
The Ministry of the environment in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme has ended a consultative engagement with both local and international stakeholders to reflect on the outcome of the 1972 Stockholm +50 conference and how they could preserve Sierra Leone’s ecosystem and biodiversity.
In her welcome address, the Permanent Secretary, Madam Nancy Tengbeh who chaired the meeting cited the Medium-Term National Development Plan that indicates several targets for environmental preservation. She said the Ministry is working closely with its supervising Agencies to restore degraded areas. She emphasized that failure to protect the environment would have adverse consequences on individual livelihood.
She thanked UNDP for making the consultative meeting a success and implored all relevant stakeholders to make meaningful contributions that would reflect the Stockholm declaration to accelerate the implementation of the UN decade of Action that seeks to preserve the environment for sustainable development goal.
In his keynote address, the Minister of the Environment, Prof. Foday M. Jaward said the consultative meeting is a high-level one that seeks to commemorate the outcomes of the 1972 Stockholm Conference which served as a contribution to the environmental dimension of sustainable development to accelerate the implementation of commitments made in the context of the decades of action and delivery.
He noted that several commitments were made by country parties during the signing and ratification of three Rio Conventions on biodiversity, climate change, and land degradation and later also the Stockholm Convention. He said that it is this backdrop several actions, programs, and initiatives have been undertaken at the level of government, regional, district, and community levels since the Stockholm Conference on Environmental and Development in 1972.
He stated that the government has ratified four conventions, policy and legal instruments have been formulated, institutions established, and projects and programs implemented to address the trend of a deteriorating natural resources base and quality of Sierra Leone’s environment.
He assured of available political will to tackle environmental challenges hence the establishment of the new stand-alone Ministry of the Environment, review of six legislations, and ungraded key institutions after the Stockholm Convention. In addition, he mentioned the rollout of the National Tree Planting Project with the core objective to plant 5 million trees in all five regions of the country.
He noted the submissions of the first and third National Climate Change Communications, noting that the government is currently revising all necessary preparations for final submission to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
He said Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) estimated that by 2030, Sierra Leone would suffer cumulative annual flood-related losses totaling US$200M. He continued that an extreme weather event would be more costly with the loss of lives and properties.
He emphasized that plastic and plastic waste management continued to pose an environmental hazard in the country. He said a single used plastic policy is also being developed.
He applauded World Bank for supporting the Ministry to develop the National Plastic Policy and Action Plan.
He, therefore, called on religious institutions, churches, mosques, local communities, and Civil Society Organizations to embark on environmental projects in their locations and operations, noting that since it is the UN decade of ecosystem restoration.
In his statement, the UNDP Resident Rep. Pa Lamin Beyai underscored the significance of the consultative meeting, noting that it brings together the government and its partners and other stakeholders to discuss environmental issues affecting Sierra Leone in the context of Stockholm +50.
He said the meeting provides an opportunity for an inclusive society that called for government discussions on the main theme of Stockholm +50 that has effective planning for transparency of the country’s responsibilities and opportunities to protect its nature. He took into consideration the awareness of protecting the planet, noting that it sets the path for people to overcome the triple prices of climate change and biodiversity loss, pollution, and waste.
He disclosed that the UN conference on the human environment also known as the stakeholder conference was the first UN conference held on the environment in June 1972. Sequel to this, he added that the engagement is organized by the Ministry of Environment and its partners to reflect on the 50-year declaration on preserving the environment.
He said the forum would produce the platform to deliberate on how to accelerate transformational change that would lead to a sustainable and greener economy, creating more jobs and a healthy planet for all without leaving no one behind.
He noted UNDP’s willingness for continuing collaboration and partnership with the government of Sierra Leone through the Ministry of Environment and other institutions to support the country’s effort toward a resilient and zero-carbon future.
The consultative meeting held at the Radisson Blue Hotel, in Aberdeen, Freetown brought together participants from of MDAs, Parliament, Paramount Chiefs, and Members of the Diplomatic Counselor Core, Local Councils, and Civil Society Organizations to primarily discuss and bring out action plans on mitigation and adaptation to fight Climate Change in Sierra Leone.
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