The first Africa Mountains Regional Forum closed Friday at Ngurdoto Mountain Lodge in Arusha, Tanzania, and called upon African states to develop and implement mountain-specific policies and laws and mainstream sustainable mountain development in their national development agenda. The forum that attracted over 100 participants from different African countries formally established the African Mountain Forum as the main coordinating body to promote the sustainable mountain development agenda in Africa.
"The mountain places across Africa are under attack because of the belief that the closer you are [to the mountain], the better the status that you have," said Hon. Lazaro Nyalandu, the Tanzanian Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism and the chief guest. "We have invited Members of Parliament from Arusha and Kilimanjaro regions to discuss the creation of the Mt. Kilimanjaro and Meru Ecosystem Protection Fund. Something has to be done, we are going to protect this ecosystem."
The meeting was also attended by Uganda's Minister of State for Environment, Hon. Flavia Munaaba Nabugere. The mountains forum was organized by the East African Community in partnership with Albertine Rift Conservation Society (ARCOS) and the Africa Mountain Partnership Champions Committee (AMPCC).
It was made possible with support from the US Agency for International Development-East Africa (USAID/EA) which is supporting the EAC Biodiversity agenda through the PREPARED Programme, as well as the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Austrian Development Cooperation and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.
The Principal Environment and Natural Resources Officer, East African Community, Ms. Wivine Ntamubano, who represented the Hon. Jesca Eriyo, EAC Deputy Secretary General, Productive and Social Sectors, said, "The East African Community's emphasis is on the protection and conservation of shared trans-boundary, environment, natural resources and ecosystems that call for common approaches and collective measures. "
Trans-boundary mountains in the region include the Mt. Elgon, which bestride Kenya and Uganda; the Virunga range shared by Rwanda, Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo and Mt. Rwenzori at the border of Uganda and DR Congo. Mountains are the water towers of the world, supplying half the world's population with freshwater for drinking, domestic use, irrigation, industry and hydropower.
Given the growing scarcity of water resources, experts say integrated and proper management of mountain water resources should become a global priority. The forum concluded with the adoption of the Arusha Outcomes in which the delegates requested the African Union together with the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN), Regional Economic Communities and other partners to adopt an Africa regional mountain agenda together with its governance framework for sustainable mountain development in Africa. The participants also called for inter-sectoral collaboration in the protection and management of African mountains given their critical importance as water towers, centers for economic development and a source of livelihoods for the mountain communities.
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Left to Right - Hon. Flavia Munaaba, Ms. Wivine Ntamubano, Dr. Sam Kanyamibwa and Hon. Lazaro Nyalandu at the Africa Mountains Regional Forum
