COMMUNIQUE BY THE FIRST MEETING OF THE

ACP MINISTERS OF THE ENVIRONMENT

The first meeting of ACP Ministers of the Environment was held in Brussels on 10 December 2004. The Ministers welcomed the opportunity to come together to discuss environmental issues affecting ACP countries.

They took the opportunity to re-affirm the importance of environmental protection and the sustainable management of natural resources for the development of their countries and the fight against poverty.

They expressed satisfaction at the pride of place given to environmental issues in the Cotonou Agreement. The Ministers undertook to create local conditions favourable to the enhanced mobilisation of the resources provided under national and regional development programmes. In return, they appealed to their development partners to expedite the implementation of the commitments undertaken. 

The Ministers noted that their meeting was being held at the same time as the United Nations Conference on Climate Change underway in Buenos Aires, and welcomed the imminent coming into force of the Kyoto Protocol. Nonetheless, they urged countries that had not yet done so to ratify the Agreements without further delay. 

The Ministers also expressed deep concern regarding the fact that natural disasters are becoming more frequent and intensive, causing considerable damage in a large number of ACP countries, in particular the Caribbean.

They also voiced their concern about the unprecedented devastation caused by the locust plagues in West and Central Africa, and called for long-term solutions to be found in collaboration with their development partners, in particular the European Union.

The Ministers supported the creation of an ACP-EU Facility targeting the prevention of these phenomena, and early warning systems aimed at attenuating their effects. In addition, they welcomed the creation of an ACP-EU Water Facility and the Energy Initiative proposed by the EU. 

At the close of their deliberations, the ACP Ministers of the Environment adopted a Declaration and a Framework for Action underscoring, inter alia, the importance of informing and consulting all relevant local stakeholders, and strengthening Intra-ACP cooperation. They decided to meet at least once every two years to ensure the follow-up of their commitments.

                                                                                    Brussels, 10 December 2004