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a major factor impedingthe implementatioo of Agenda21. Incertaineases,this hasbocnlIltributodtothe non-coocretisaliOllof financial pledgeson lIlepan
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Draft NCSD Report 06-07-04
Funding is clearly a constraining factor to the effective functioning of NCSD in Africa The location of the NCSD under a high level office (Office of the President / Prime Minister) does not automatically guarantee adequate funding as demonstrated in the case of The Gambia and other countries with similar institutional arrangements. The adequacy or otherwise of funding for the activities of the NCSD is determined among other things by the economic situation of the country as well as the priority attached to activities being executed by the NCSD.
6.2 Other Funding Agencies and Financial Mechanisms
Given that government funding is inadequate, NCSD source for supplementary funding from bilateral and multilateral development partners including UN Agencies. Annex 4 is a list of development partners providing financial support to countries. With the exception of the Central Africa Republic, allcountries indicated that they receive supplementary funding from development partners. Fundraising is mostly done by submitting project or programme proposals to the relevant agency, or in some cases requests are submitted to agencies through Ministries of Finance that normally coordinate development assistance received by countries.
While the Central African Republic has not yet established partners to support activities of its NCSD, sixty percent of Zambia's budget is donor funded. In addition to supplementary funding from its development partners, Egypt also accesses soft loans from its national banks for the purchase of high technology equipment and machinery. The desk review revealed that the development partners providing additional funding for the activities of the NCSD in respondent countries are more or less the same as those in non-respondent countries.
Most countries have not established financial mechanisms to support activities of their NCSD and therefore continue to rely on government budgetary allocations and donor funding. A few countries (Malawi, Swaziland, Mauritius) have established special funds for sustainable development and environmental matters. Malawi further indicated that its government / donor-working group has the potential to establish other funding mechanisms. TheCentnl.l,'\frj~aRepublic has proposed the establishment of an environment fund and another for"~~i~iii1":
Tanzania mentioned some fiscal measures such as the value added tax system (VAT) and monitoring mechanisms (pRSP system of monitoring cash budget system) established by its government to enhance revenue generation and ensure prudent management of its financial resources. Some of the ideas being explored by South Africa towards establishment of viable financial mechanisms include promoting and encouraging sustainability and responsible corporate practices through the use of economic instruments, Inits WSSD country report, Niger stated that it intended to establish an environment fund for sustainable development.
6.3 Activities Supported
Financial resources mobilized by countries are used in implementing a range of activities: These include the development and review of policies, strategies and legislation; funding studies;
development of coordinating mechanisms; conducting workshops, coordination and review meetings; training, sensitisation and awareness creation; production of documents including reports;
meeting running costs; funding travel; and implementation of sectoral activities.
Eleven countries (Tanzania, Egypt, Cameroon, Swaziland, Kenya, Mauritius, Ethiopia, Botswana, Seychelles, Algeria, and Morocco) listed sectoral activities being implemented by their NCSD.
Among these, only Tanzania indicated activities that cover the economic, social and environmental
33
Draft NCSD Report 06-07-04 dimensions of sustainable development. The Gambia did not list activities but indicated that the activities of its NCSD cover
all
three dimensions. Apart from these two, the sectoral activities are highly skewed towards environmental issues.While environmental activities listed by most countries relate to the natnral resources sector
(dry
land and coastal zone management, desertification control, community based natural resources management) those listed by Egypt relate to the manufacturing and industrial sector (cement factories, foundries, fertilizer factories etc). TIlls could yet again be an indication of the level of industrial development in Egypt relative to most other African countries.South Africa is another industrialized African country. However, given that its NCSD was established only recently, it is currently preoccupied with institutional development issues including the establishment of coordinating mechanisms. Environmental sanitation projects (national sewage master plan and waste management) and land use planning are among the activities being supported by Mauritius' NCSD.
The activities presented in the WSSD country reports relate to development programmes nationwide and embrace the three dimensions of sustainable development. Presentations are not limited to the activities ofthe NCSD, thus making it difficult for any meaningful comparison.
Many development partners support the activities of NCSD in Africa. Inorder to ensure that their interventions efficiently support government efforts, governments should have clearly defined priorities and policies on areas of interventions and donor coordination. Most countries have not established financial mechanisms to generate additional funds but continue to depend on government budgetary allocations. A few countries have established environmental funds.
Activities implemented by NCSD are biased towards the environment sector - a reflection of the mandates and location of most NCSD. NCSD should endeavour to identify synergies among the different activities being implemented with a view to promoting joint implementation and ensuring efficiency.
34
Draft NCSD Report06-07-04