Report of the Select Committee on Land and Environmental Affairs during Participation in the World Conservation Congress held in Bangkok, Thailand, 17 – 25 November 2004 under the Theme "People and Nature – Only One World"
1. BACKGROUND
Members of the Select Committee on Land and Environmental Affairs was invited by the President, Yolanda Kakabadse and Director General, Mr. Achim Steiner of the World Conservation Union to attend the 3rd IUCN World Conservation Congress to be hosted by the Kingdom of Thailand in Bangkok from the 17th to the 25th November 2004. In response to the invitation, a delegation of five members, three from the Portfolio Committee on Environmental Affairs and Tourism and, two from the Select Committee on Land and Environmental Affairs were granted permission attend the proceedings of the Congress.
Having participated in lobbying of Hon Valli Moosa for the Presidency of the International World Conservation Union and in the six commissions of the World Conservation Congress dealing with ecosystem management, education and communication, environmental, economic and social policy, environmental law, species survival and protected areas, the delegation of the portfolio committee and select committee report to the national assembly and national council of provinces as follows:
1.1 CONGRESS OBJECTIVES Explore the relationships between people, development and conservation through its four themes: Ecosystem management, Bridging sustainability and productivity; health, Poverty and Conservation - Responding to the challenge of human well-being; Biodiversity Loss and Species Extinction - Managing risk in a changing world; and Markets, Business and the Environment - Strengthening corporate social responsibility, law and policy
Approve the 2005/2008 IUCN Programme and Financial Plan
Elect the President of the world conservation union and other officers
Table 2003/2004 commissions reports on ecosystem management, education and communication, environmental, economic and social policy, environmental law, species survival and world commission on protected areas
Consider motions and adopt resolutions at plenary level.
1.2 DELEGATION OF THE COMMITTEES A joint delegation of the Select Committee on Land and Environmental Affairs and the Portfolio Committee on Environmental Affairs and Tourism constituted of the Ms E Thabethe, (ANC-NA) Ms M Ntuli (ANC-NA), Mr. G Morgan (DA-NA), Rev P Moatshe (ANC-NCOP) Mr. F Adams (NNP-NCOP) and Committee Secretary, Mr. M Manele.
2. ELECTION OF MR VALLI MOOSA AS PRESIDENT OF WORLD CONSERVATION UNION As one of the objectives of the ICUN Congress was to elect the President and other office bearers, the delegation in collaboration with senior officials from the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism played a very active lobbying role which culminated to the nomination and election of Mr. Valli Moosa as the President of the World Conservation Union.
3. OVERVIEW OF CONGRESS PROCEEDINGS The world conservation congress of which the delegation of the portfolio committee on environmental affairs and tourism and the select committee on land and environmental affairs attended was officially opened on the 17 November and closed on the 25 November 2004. The proceedings of the congress had parallel commissions meetings on ecosystem management, education and communication, environmental, economic and social policy, environmental law, species survival and protected areas, and tabling of reports of the director-general on the work of union since the 2nd IUCN World conservation congress, membership development since 2001 to march 2004, draft report by director general on follow-up to the resolutions and recommendations of the 2nd session of the world conservation congress, proposed amendments to the rules of procedure of the world conservation congress regarding the credentials committee and electronic voting, election of the IUCN President, Treasurer, and Regional Councilors, election of chair of the chair of commissions, evolution of the financial situation over the period of 1999-2003, financial plan for the period 2005-2008. Discussion and adoption of draft resolutions, adoption of programmme, commission mandates and financial plan, announcement of election results, massage from the President elect, Mohammed Valli Moosa and closure of the World Congress by the outgoing President, Yolanda Kakabadse.
4. OVERVIEW OF CONGRESS RESOLUTIONS The world conservation congress passed 118 resolutions relating to governance, policy, programme, website and species. Under governance the congress passed resolution relating to relate to precedence clause establishing precedence in regard to IUCN general policy, improving the transparency of IUCN Council, broadening the criteria for membership admission in the NGO category, the involvement of local and regional government authorities within IUCN, including local IUCN members in the Union delegation at multilateral agreement meeting, fulfilling the rights to optional use of the official languages in the internal and external communication documents of IUCN and its members and implementation of an IUCN programme for the Insular Caribbean.
4.1. POLICY RELATED RESOLUTION Under the policy, the congress passed resolutions relating to the Mediterranean mountain convention, ratification and implementation of the revised African convention, protecting the earth’s water for public and ecological benefit, a moratorium on the further release of genetically modified organism, policy on control of animal population for the purpose of biodiversity conservation, HIV/AIDS pandemic and conservation and, the Harold Jefferson Coolidge medal, recognizing earth charter, human trapping standards, education for sustainable development, the precautionary principles in environmental governance and, coordination of sustainable development programme for energy.
4.2. PROGRAMME RELATED RECOMMENDATIONS Under programme, some of the resolution passed relate to the provision of an office for IUCN’s observer mission to the united nations, audit of international conventions, treaties and agreements on environment, drafting a charter of ethics for biodiversity conservation, international covenant on environment and development, education and communication in IUCN programme, policy on capacity building and technology transfer, capacity building for young professionals.
4.3. SPECIES RELATED RESOLUTIONS Under species the resolution passed relate to conservation needs of the tiger, conservation of saiga antelope, conservation of dugon, protection of the great Indian bustard, shark finning, conservation of the bandula barb and continued prohibition of shahtoosh production and trade.
5. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS Having participated in the six commissions IUCN during the World Conservation Congress, the delegation of the Portfolio Committee on Environmental Affairs and Tourism and, the Select Committee on Land and Tourism concludes and recommends that:
5.1. The South African Government’s approach has shifted from that of traditional conservation to a more holistic approach where conservation is linked with the development agenda of the country including local communities, poverty alleviation, capacity building, natural resource management.
5.2. The advancement that can be seen in south African conservation over the last ten years have largely been due to the vision and work of Mr Valli Moosa, the former Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism who introduced new initiatives and changed the way in which conservation was being addressed.
In this regard, it is recommended that:
5.3. The Portfolio Committee and the Select Committee must during the 2005 Parliamentary Committee period call both the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism and IUCN to brief members of the purpose and functions of commissions such as with ecosystem management, education and communication, environmental, economic and social policy, environmental law, species survival and protected areas.
5.4. Both the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism and ICUN Regional office must appear before the Portfolio Committee and the Select Committee to brief members on the 2005 –2008 IUCN Programme.
5.5. Based on the recommendations made during the world Conservation Congress in November 2004, the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism must come and brief both the Portfolio Committee and Select Committee on strategies and plans put in place to ensure the implementation of the World Conservation Congress Resolutions.