Dear ENB readers
Re: IISD RS coverage of the African Union Summit, Africa Biosafety Policy Paper and AFRICASD-L list In April 2006 the International Institute for Sustainable Development Reporting Services Division (IISD RS) and South Africa's Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT), in partnership with the UN Environment Programme's Regional Office for Africa, joined together to assist in communicating the policy outcomes of Africa regional meetings on environment and related sustainable development issues to the larger international community. The African Regional Coverage (ARC) project is the result of the identified need to give African meetings and activities a higher exposure to the international community. Building on the success of the Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) in covering international environment and sustainable development meetings, this project expects to replicate this success at the regional level in order to make the outcome of Africa's ministerial meetings available to the world in real-time. Coverage of the eighth Africa Union Summit The eighth African Union (AU) Summit takes place at AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 22-30 January 2007. The Summit consists of Ordinary Sessions of: the Permanent Representatives Committee, from 22-23 January; the Executive Council, from 25-26 January; and the AU Assembly, from 29-30 January. The main themes of the Summit are "Science, Technology and Scientific Research for Development" and "Climate Change in Africa." While not physically reporting on the Summit, IISD Reporting Services African Regional Coverage Project has established a website dedicated to coverage of the Summit: http://www.iisd.ca/africa/aauss/ The first briefing note for the Summit- a detailed institutional history- places the main themes of the Summit in context by providing a history of institutions, processes and decisions related to science and technology (S&T), climate change and sustainable development in Africa, with a particular focus on AU-related processes. After a brief introduction to the AU, key decisions of relevance from previous AU Summits are summarized. This is followed by an outline of other AU events and programmes that relate to S&T and sustainable development. The final section of the briefing note summarizes recent international developments in the area of climate change. The second briefing note on the outcomes of the Summit will be available at the IISD AU site shortly after the conclusion of the Summit http://www.iisd.ca/africa/aauss/ Biosafety Policy Paper Given the focus of the AU Summit on science and technology, in particular issues related to biotechnology and biosafety, IISD RS experts have prepared a Biosafety Policy Paper which evaluates the challenges ahead for African negotiators on areas related to biotechnology and biosafety during the year 2007. The biosafety paper reviews the framework documents adopted in the region in order to harmonize approaches to biotechnology and biosafety, including: Africa's Science and Technology Consolidated Plan of Action adopted by the New Partnership for Africa's Development and the African Union; the report of the High-Level African Panel on Modern Biotechnology; the African Position on the Issue of Genetically Modified Organisms and Agriculture, adopted by the Conference of Agricultural Ministers of the African Union; and the draft African strategy on biosafety presented by the African Union's Directorate of Human Resources, Science and Technology. Based on Africa's core guiding principles for policy-making, the brief presents proposals and ideas to apply them in biotechnology-related multilateral negotiations on environmental issues, specifically negotiations on liability and redress in the context of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, access and benefit-sharing under the Convention on Biological Diversity, and funding for biosafety in the framework of the Global Environment Facility. If you are interested in subscribing to IISD RS list serve specifically designed to disseminate IISD RS's policy briefs please send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and we will subscribe you to the list. AFRICASD-L List In order to disseminate the activities of the African Regional Coverage Project, IISD RS has established the AFRICASD-L <http://www.iisd.ca/email/africasd-L.htm> List as a peer-to-peer list serve for information specifically regarding the African Regional Coverage Project and related information on sustainable development decision-making in Africa. If you are interested in subscribing to AFRICASD-L <http://www.iisd.ca/email/africasd-L.htm> and receiving ARC reports and policy briefs please send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yours, Kimo GOREE ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Langston James "Kimo" Goree VI Director, IISD Reporting Services International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) -- United Nations Office 212 E. 47th St. Apt. 21F - New York, NY 10017 IISD Reporting Services Tel: +1 646 536 7556 (new number!!) Fax: +1 646 219-0955 Direct line: +1 973 273 5860 (new number!!) 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