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PAN AFRIQUE
PAN Africa will organize an advocacy training workshop on " Management of locust control and participation of the civil society " in Bamako from February 21 to 23, 2010. 20 participants included public and NGO sector representatives from ASP-P1 countries (Afrique du sud, Ethiopie, Mali, Maroc, Nigeria, Tanzania et Tunisia), and countries concerned by locust outbreaks (Algeria, Mali, Morocco, Mauritania, Niger, Tunisia, Senegal) will attend the meeting
 
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Approval reached by all partners to begin work in Africa

WASHINGTON, September 19, 2005
The first phase of the Africa Stockpiles Programme (ASP-P1) has been approved by the World Bank, the Global Environment Facility (GEF), and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The continent-wide effort aims to eliminate the stockpiles of obsolete pesticides, including persistent organic pollutants (POPs), in Africa. The programme will also help countries prevent future build-ups.

“The Africa Stockpiles Programme is an unprecedented partnership,” said Ian Johnson, World Bank Vice President for Sustainable Development, “between African countries, donor governments, civil society, and multilateral organizations – all of whom have agreed to cooperate in this comprehensive effort to eliminate the accumulation of obsolete pesticides. This partnership addresses a serious and growing public health and environmental danger which confronts nearly every country in Africa.”

On September 8th, two GEF grants – $1.7 million to South Africa and $4.0 million to Tunisia – were announced by the World Bank in its capacity as an implementing agency for the GEF. These two grants are part of a total $25 million contribution from the GEF for the first phase of the programme.

The other funders to the overall $60 million programme include the African Development Bank, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, European Commission, Food and Agriculture Organization, Finland, France, Japan, Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, and the World Bank Development Grant Facility.

La Banque mondiale a une expérience de la coordination de programmes multi-pays et internationaux complexes à l’échelle mondiale, y compris la gestion de fonds fiduciaires qui mobilisent les ressources de nombreux donneurs dans un but commun. La Banque supervisera le nettoyage, l’enlèvement et les activités de prévention des stocks de pesticides périmés de ce partenariat. L’Organisation des Nations Unies pour l’alimentation et l’agriculture (FAO) sera chargée d’apporter conseils et appuis techniques aux pays concernés.

“GEF is proud to be a partner in the Africa Stockpiles Programme. This effort is critical to the health of all Africans and the integrity of the continent’s environment,” said Len Good, GEF Chairman and CEO. “This programme is part of GEF’s strategy to help countries reduce and eliminate releases of dangerous toxic chemicals and develop safe alternatives.”
Said Patrick Agboma of the AfDB, "The African Development Bank is proud to join the African Stockpiles Programme in its objective of removing stockpiles of obsolete pesticide from African countries. We consider the ASP to be a flagship initiative, which will bring substantial public health and environmental benefits to the continent, while strengthening the agricultural sector. It is a concrete action resulting from the AfDB's recently approved Environmental Policy and Implementation Plan, and is in line with the spirit of NEPAD's Environment Action Plan."

Virtually every country in Africa has stockpiles of obsolete pesticides that have accumulated over the past several decades. Many of these chemicals and their containers are in poor condition, threatening local and regional environments and human health through contamination of soil, water, air, and food.

“The UN Food and Agriculture Organization has worked for over a decade to raise global awareness to the critical and worsening situation created by obsolete pesticide stockpiles in developing countries, particularly in Africa,” said Mark Davis, Coordinator of the FAO Obsolete Pesticides Programme. "Funds have been secured and action taken to deal with obsolete pesticides through FAO programmes in several African countries, including Ethiopia, Mali, Mozambique, Seychelles, and Zambia. Acting alone, FAO was never going to overcome the problem in Africa or elsewhere on the globe. With the ASP now in place, the existence of a dedicated fund, with a multi-partner and multi-country focus, provides a much firmer foundation for cleaning up and destroying the stockpiles, and helping to prevent future accumulation.”

The ASP was initiated with strong country support by WWF and Pesticide Action Network in late 2000. It is a multi-stakeholder initiative that aims to tackle pesticide pollution through the clean-up and disposal of over 50,000 tonnes of obsolete pesticide waste stockpiled across the 53-country African continent. The first phase of 4 years will be implemented through a strategic partnership focusing on seven African countries: Ethiopia, Mali, Morocco, Nigeria, Tanzania, Tunisia, and South Africa.

“The World Bank Board’s approval of the Africa Stockpiles Programme is a big step forward,” said Clifton Curtis, Director of WWF's Global Toxics Programme, “opening the door to on-the-ground cleanup and destruction of obsolete pesticide stockpiles in seven African countries initially and help in preventing future accumulations in Nigeria and several other countries. The ASP partners have been talking and planning for the start up of the operational program for nearly 5 years. It is exciting to know that major cleanup and destruction of stockpiles will now begin in earnest, contributing to improved public health, poverty reduction, and environmental safety – critical elements of sustainable development.”

The ASP partnership also encourages strong involvement and expertise from the private sector. “CropLife International is proud to be part of the ASP,” said Christian Verschueren, Director General of CropLife International. “The plant science industry has unique experience and expertise in dealing with the removal of obsolete pesticide stocks. We share the vision and objectives engrained in the ASP and are committed to participating in the achievement of its important goals.”

“PAN UK and PAN Africa are delighted that the Africa Stockpiles Programme has been given the final go-ahead,” said Eloise Touni, PAN UK’s ASP Coordinator. “NGO groups throughout the continent – among the over 700 members of the international PAN – have been expressing concern about obsolete pesticides since the early days of ASP planning, and have repeatedly confirmed their commitment to positive action. NGO networks have been, or are being, established in all seven first phase countries, ready to support their national projects – particularly in helping to ensure that stockpiles do not reappear.”

Approximately 8 other countries are candidates for preparatory and prevention activities as the ASP moves toward a 2nd operational phase in 3 – 4 years, chosen from the following high priority countries: Benin, Botswana, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana, Lesotho, Liberia, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, and Swaziland.

For more information, please contact the website of l’ASP:
www.africastockpiles.org

or contact the World Bank:
Sergio Jellinek 1-202-458-2841
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Kristyn Ebro 1-202-458-2736
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Action plan for a better participation on francophone NGOs in the promotion of chemical safety
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BAMAKO STATEMENT ON THE URGENT NEED TO IMPLEMENTING ASP (African Stockpiles Programme)


Bamako, Mali, July 14th 2005

We, participants in the workshop on “Preparing the Participation of Francophone country NGOs to implementing ASP”

Gathered in Bamako, Mali from 12th to 14th July 2005

Recognising the importance of a safe environment for African people,

Aware of the fact that more than 180 governments represented at the World Summit for Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg in September 2002 have unanimously agreed to reaffirm their commitment in favour of “the commitment taken within Action 21 to ensure a rational and safe chemical management…so that by 2020, chemicals be used and produced in a way that their impacts on health and on the environment be minimized” (see implementation plan, section 22),

Aware that the chemical contamination causes noxious impacts (acute and chronic) on health and the environment,

Aware of the fact that obsolete pesticide stocks have been accumulating for decades throughout the African continent and pose many continuous and growing hazards mainly to the poor world, the biodiversity and the African and global environment,

Convinced that the prevention of a future accumulation of stockpiles is as crucial as the quick and ecologically rational disposal of existing obsolete pesticide stocks,

Noticing that the ASP program has been initiated in late 2000 and took a major delay to start-up,

Noticing equally that this delay has rendered null and void inventories already carried out on obsolete pesticides, hence the need to carry out new activities of inventories, training, awareness-raising, planning and the program financing.

Considering that the final approval of the programme is scheduled for early September 2005 by the GEF executive board and the World Bank;

Appréciant the opportunity to organising the workshop of the ASP1st-stage francophone country NGOs with the financial support of the World Bank;

We, participants, representing NGOs from Mali, Morocco, Tunisia and international partner NGOs, namely WWF and Pesticide Action Network (PAN);

Call upon all ASP partners to invest urgently in the programme implementation;

Specifically request:

  • Immediate actions in ASP-1ST stage countries, namely the preparation of a new chronogram detailed and the specification of tasks among different stakeholders;

  • The setting-up of the ASP program during a high level ceremony with the participation of important personalities of the African continent in order to have a global media coverage, to reach a bigger visibility for the programme to obtain the support of technical and financial partners;

  • The speeding-up of preparatory and preventive activities for the second group of the 1st-stage countries.

  • The effective participation and the appropriate financing of NGOs at local, national and international level to facilitate the carrying out of important activities relating to monitoring, communication, awareness-raising and promotion of alternative methods in pest and disease vectors’ control.

  • The making of free, transparent and participative decisions at all levels.

Bamako, July 14th 2005

The Workshop

 
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