Focus On Planet Earth - AFRICA INSTITUTIONAL CAUSES.

AFRICA INSTITUTIONAL CAUSES

Following the paradigm of sustainable development that <%0>the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) initiated in 1992 at a global scale, many Governments in the region have created specific high-ranking offices at the ministerial level to take care of environmental issues. Examples of this trend include the Ministerio de Desarrollo Sustentable y Medio Ambiente in Bolivia, and the Secretaría de Medio Ambiente, Recursos Naturales y Pesca in Mexico. Although the change towards specific administrative offices for environmental matters is in general positive, it has also meant that environmental awareness and the paradigm of sustainable development remain alienated from the traditional sectors of Government in certain countries.

There has also been a trend towards the decentralization of governmental functions to provinces and municipalities, which meant the transfer of decision-making to lower administrative levels. At times, however, these local Governments have lacked the technical capacity to assume environmental responsibilities.

A number of multilateral agreements with the objective of preserving the environment and promoting sustainable development were signed or reactivated. For example, the Amazon Cooperation Treaty was moved forward, and a permanent secretariat was established; the Central American countries formed the Central American Commission for Sustainable Development; and the Caribbean countries formed the Confederation of Caribbean States.

Also as a result of UNCED, regional Governments have begun to view environmental issues more as a problem of social and economic development, closely related to the problem of poverty and social progress. And some have started to take an active interest in the protection of their natural patrimony through specific organisms created for that purpose, such as the National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO) in Mexico and the National Biodiversity Institute (INBIO) in Costa Rica, two organizations devoted to the survey of the biological richness of their respective national ecosystems.

The changes in the regional economies and the shift towards market systems and liberalization have had mixed results on the environmental institutions and policy as well. The reduced Government spending has meant a decrease in State-promoted, large-scale development projects, and this in turn has lessened their impact on the environment. The widespread reduction in governmental spending has, however, also decreased the capacity of the State to establish environmental regulations and has lowered the capacity to enforce them. In other cases, the diminution of the State functions and responsibilities has also meant the elimination or downscaling of regulatory, research, and administrative organisms such as the National Forestry Institute (IFONA) in Argentina. So research on environmental issues and sustainable development problems has declined significantly.

One favourable development in the institutional context has been the rise of environmentally active non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the region. As an example, the number of NGOs in Colombia rose from 26 in 1990 to more than 400 in March 1994 (Winograd, 1995). These groups have had a positive impact at local and regional levels in terms of natural resource management, the appraisal of and respect for native knowledge and cultures, and the implementation of alternative production models. They have also acquired a voice at the international level regarding how projects and funds need to be managed, and have emerged as a strong force in guiding popular participation and producing important changes in development policies and actions (Winograd, 1995).

Another promising endeavour is the creation of national councils for sustainable development or similar initiatives in many countries of the region, including Bolivia, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Peru. These councils are often tripartite in nature, being composed of the private sector, government, and NGOs. Such councils allow a more systematic participation of civil society and the private sector.

United Nations Environment Programme