Cape Town, South Africa, August 31….… The world’s largest environmental funding body, the Global Environment Facility (GEF), received its biggest ever financial boost when the 32 governments of its governing body, the GEF Council, agreed to contribute US$ 3.13 billion to finance environmental projects over the next four years. The agreement was subsequently approved by the  <http://www.thegef.org/participants/Assembly/assembly.html> GEF Assembly, which consists of the 176 countries that are members of the GEF. The Assembly meets once every four years to review the policies and operations of the GEF. 

The GEF, established in 1991, helps developing countries fund projects and programs that protect the global environment. GEF grants support projects related to biodiversity, climate change, international waters, land degradation, the ozone layer, and persistent organic pollutants. Since 1991, the GEF has provided $6.2 billion in grants and generated over $20 billion in co-financing from other sources to support over 1,800 projects that produce global environmental benefits in 140 developing countries and countries with economies in transition. GEF funds are contributed by donor countries. In 2002, 32 donor countries pledged $3 billion to fund operations between 2002 and 2006. 

“It is no coincidence that the Assembly is meeting in Africa for the first time. This magnificent country is a fitting locale,” said the head of the Antigua and Barbuda delegation to the Assembly, the Honourable Wilmoth Daniel, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Work, Transportation and Environment. In addition to the Minister, who was attending in his capacity as the highest political authority on environmental matters, the delegation also consisted of Senator the Honourable Lenworth Johnson, Chairman of St John’s Development Cooperation; Ambassador Dr. John W. Ashe, who played a leading role in the establishment of the GEF and in the subsequent development of its policies; and Mr. John Bradshaw, Water Manager, APUA.

“South Africa is home to some of the world’s most treasured environmental assets, from the legendary beauty of the fynbos biome in the Cape floral region, to the beauty of its natural landscapes, abundant wild life, and picturesque seascapes.  In addition, South Africa is playing a leadership role in the global effort to achieve sustainable development, combining economic growth and conservation priorities,” said the Minister.

 “Since the Assembly provides a strategic opportunity for GEF stakeholders to take stock and collectively strengthen strategies and actions for protecting the global environment and achieving sustainable development, and is intended to attract the highest-level of representation from each of its 176 member countries, I would think that it would be incumbent upon me as Minister to lead our delegation to this august gathering,” he said. 

While in Cape Town, the Minister was able to witness firsthand the approval by the GEF Council of US $3 million in GEF funds for a national project aimed at developing a sustainable island resource management approach for Antigua and Barbuda.  

“This project will enable us to consider the whole island ecosystem and its marine and terrestrial resources as a capital asset which, if properly managed and protected, will continue to yield a flow of vital goods and services (water, productivity, physical shelter, adaptive capacity and resilience, and aesthetics) necessary for sustainable economic development and livelihood options, and for biodiversity protection,” said the Minister.

“This project will also allow us to demonstrate how the longer term benefits accrued by the shifts in priority toward maintenance of ecosystem functions, sustainability of natural resources, properly planned economic growth, and the protection and diversification of livelihoods will ultimately result in positive trade-offs in comparison to a business-as-usual scenario,” he added. 

The Minister also used the opportunity presented by the Assembly to undertake a number of bilateral discussions with his counterpart from South Africa and with senior officials from the Ministries of Development Cooperation and Finance from Finland, Norway and Japan.  

At the invitation of the Minister of Environment of South Africa, Senator Johnson will pay an official visit to the ultra-modern treated effluent plant that has been launched by the City of Cape Town to alleviate the growing water shortage in the metropole. The Potsdam Waste Water Treatment Plant, one of South Africa's most technologically advanced waste water recycling facilities, was built at a cost of 19 million South African Rand (US $1 = 6.43 Rand), is expected to generate an additional 38 million litres (mega litres) of non-potable water per day for a surburb of Cape Town.

“Despite being several times our size, it is interesting to see that Cape Town faces many of the same problems as Antigua and Barbuda, including rising demand for water that will soon outstrip supply which in turn has force the municipal authorities to explore alternative water resources, consider measures to reduce water consumption, contemplate desalination of sea water, undertake exploration of deep aquifers, and enhance facilities for recycling of waste water and sewage,” said the Senator. 

At the invitation of Cape Town officials, the Senator will also visit the Darling Wind Farm, South Africa's first commercial wind farm venture. The Darling Wind Farm is the product of an innovative partnership between local and foreign investors, the government and the local community. The City of Cape Town aims to source about 10% of its energy from renewable sources - which could include solar and other forms of energy - by 2020.

“Given the importance of renewable energy and the growing concern over the global warming caused by the burning of fossil fuels such as oil, this wind farm, which will start operating in 2007, uses four giant wind turbines to generate an estimated 13.2 gigawatt-hours per year of "clean" electricity that feeds into the national power grid,” said the Senator.

The Antigua-based members of the delegation are expected to return to Antigua this weekend. (Ends)