Rio+20 Portal

We urge African leaders:

I / the Environmental Governance within United Nations

Whereas the African States are implementing plans and strategies for environmental protection, and that they are still insufficient in terms of International Environment Governance (IEG) we recommend to:

• Support the idea that states should move towards a new world order in which primacy is given to the environmental field;
• Advocate for the creation of a "World Environmental Organization," which may have financial, material and technical, to the high stakes, with a different system of regulations that are binding on all parties and all areas;
• Support a reform of an Integrated Environment that take needs of developing countries and facilitating the participation of these last;
• Support the idea of an integrated environmental management, further encouraging regional cooperation environment;
• Support the idea of an integrated environmental management, to strengthen the lines of actions of civil society, and subtracts it from the influence of multinationals.

II- Principle of "no regression" and the role of civil society and NGOs in environmental law

Whereas the Rio Principle 10 enshrines the rule of "no-regression" in the quest for environmental democracy, we recommend to:

• Consider the establishment of an African Charter on World Environment;
• Building bridges African institutional assessment and capacity building for implementation of the Aarhus Convention and Principle 10 of Rio;
• Consider with local and regional authorities, the creation of Delegates regional, and local environmental and even environmental unions, responsible for supervising and monitoring and evaluation of public participation on environmental issues;
• Develop deliberative and participatory processes like the "hybrid forums" or citizens' conferences;
• Increasing the role of environmental NGOs in Africa in the process law-making and introduce them into public institutions or government, governing areas related to the environment;
• Establish policy innovations such recognition in African constitutions systems "Referendum green" and install new institutions such a Ministry of Sustainable Development;
• Establish mechanisms for mediating local implementation of a decentralized democracy in the environment sector.

III. The effectiveness of environmental assessments

Considering that improved environmental protection requires at this stage to assess the level of environmental degradation, environmental assessment must be strengthened and deepened.

To this end, we recommend:

• That the environmental assessment takes into account all the tools necessary for its effectiveness;
• What impact studies environmental and social be accompanied by an environmental management plan original and subject to effective monitoring.
• Achieving true horizontal administrative organization, involving qualified technicians in the various ministries involved in the execution of a project;
• That the consulting firms are regulated, so that one finds their skills to the education they will be agents.

IV - The land grab and the right to food

Aware that the level of poverty among African populations, and the inadequacy of our land and agrarian reforms, contribute to the destruction of natural resources of fauna and flora;

Whereas access to food resources is seriously challenged in the crises of economic, financial, political or environmental, affecting especially the most vulnerable groups of the poor,

Recognizing the need to ensure legal rights to land and natural resources, we recommend:

• Devote of constitutionally effective democratization of land for the purposes of equitable access for all social strata;
• Encourage States to promote the acquisition of land titles, including the most vulnerable to economic and legal plans;
• Working to protect farmers against land title holders of the abusive expropriations;
• Adopt policies that reflect the property right to food of the poorest;
• Reforming land laws and other related instruments so as to integrate the right to food;
• Reflect on the adoption of a Framework Convention on the land issue;
• Regulating the market for land titles in their respective countries;
• Wear eye on succession and others relating to access to land and land ownership, particularly from the customary;
• Extend the land management on local committees and other groups at the base;
• Ensuring land for agricultural use against subsequent assignments for other purposes.

V - The conservation of biodiversity in relation to the land issues

Considering the close links between the rural and urban land rights and environmental protection, we recommend that governments:

• Under the issue of interdependence between biodiversity and land issues, establish legal mechanisms to promote the preservation of biological and natural resources without compromising the rights to land, and to ignore the growing urban demand, which changes patterns of consumption of renewable resources;
• Establish a true security of tenure on pastoral resources, fishery and forestry by adopting a legal and institutional structure timely. This security will be done in an objective

Accountability all stakeholders and to lay the foundations for a sustainable management system of resources;

• Rethinking the land law, to address the gulf that exists between customary and modern law of access to land, to allow an efficient use of land;
• What laws, and land tenure, vary from country to country, the Governments at the appropriate levels, including local authorities, should however, strive to eliminate all obstacles that may prevent access equitable access to land and ensure that the equal rights of women and men to land, and property are protected by law.

VI - Strengthening women's role in protecting the environment.

Encouraging greater involvement of women in environmental protection, women's role should be strengthened in the institutional system and in everyday life. We recommend:

• Continue to emphasize a transverse view of women's role in linking environment, education and national development strategies and the strategies for poverty reduction;
• Raising awareness of environmental protection, and provide the technical means, financial and monitoring;
• Using culture, to educate urban and rural women, highlight traditional discriminatory practices;
• Identify the needs of women, by collecting data updated statistics on women's role in managing natural resources and the thematic "Gender and Environment";
• To demonstrate the impact of climate change on the vulnerability of women;
• Develop tools to measure the impact of the role of women in environmental protection, including the establishment of indicators binders’ environmental protection and poverty reduction in women. And improving the living environment on the health of women and his entourage;
• To involve Aboriginal women make up for deficiencies in literacy and communication by emphasizing traditional crops for better awareness of environmental protection.

VII - the effectiveness of environmental law

Proclaiming that education is the foundation for behavior change, that without this prerequisite, no strategy can have a lasting impact on people, we recommend to:

• Insert into school curricula, eco-citizenship education, from kindergarten, namely, offering lessons and basic fundamentals in terms of environmental protection into the next level and university, or faculties, though there is no specific Departments, to turn to, Schools and Higher Institutes specialized in order to achieve the preparation of an elite, an appropriate cream;
• In the context of environmental education, political commitment to a broad scope that offers practical solutions and strategies for reforestation and forest management is imperative. A sustained effort for forestry, agriculture, energy and rural development programs related is also necessary.

VIII-Environmental Taxation

Finally, considering that to be effective, leaders need to resolutely engage in a battle by scoring their environmental policies of a seal, while translating the idea of a true green economy in reality, we recommend:

• The start of a deep reflection on the establishment of a tax Environmental active.
• The identification of economic agents’ producers and consumers, responsible for damage, their ranking for their appropriate taxation.
• Identification of vulnerable areas and priority protection for overtaxing companies operating in the sector.
• To avoid'' killing the goose that lays golden eggs'' by a huge tax burden, proceed with a pilot experiment of taxation.
• If the previous phase is successful, proceed to a general reform of taxation in which some taxes will be expected to disappear, the rate of other charges will be lowered and environmental taxation will definitely be implemented in all sectors whose activities will impact on nature.

These recommendations are not exhaustive, but they emphasize the canvas, and highlights, to enhance an environmental democracy of tomorrow. With this declaration, we, young Africans are making the choice of taking full responsibility for sustainable development.

Indeed, we believe that the environmental law addresses the need for security legal, meets the requirement of protection of present and future generations, is an ethical, moral, for a more sustainable world and wants to be the channel for a fairer world. A Green and economically strong Africa will undoubtedly pledge. We call and your shared commitment to the constituents, legislators and judges spend the reality of environmental law as its effectiveness is vital.

Hoping that this statement retains your attention and pushes you to consider the adoption of an international pact in the field, we reaffirm our gold and already available to join our efforts with yours for a more efficient manner.

Contacts

• Site : www.aide21.org

The technical committee that drafted the statement:

• Mr. Guy Laurent KOUAM (general supervision).
• Mr. HAFIZOU BONCANA (head of the commission)
• Mr. NAGALO Yda ALEXIS (Commission Secretary)
• Mrs HOUENOU Marie José
• Mr. Laurent AMEVI GNAMAKOU
• Mr. MAMOUDOU BIRBA
• Mrs Olivia KENMEUGNE
• Mr. Félix KITUNGWA
• Mr. JEUGUE DOUNGUE Martial
• Under the Scientific Advisory Board of: Dr. Jeanne Marie Carolle ATONTSA