APRIL 2022

THE EAST AFRICAN SUSWATCH E-BULLETIN

A Monthly from the East African Sustainability Watch Network founded by Uganda Coalition for Sustainable
Development (UCSD), Tanzania Coalition for Sustainable Development (TCSD) and SusWatch Kenya

The 2022 Kigali Sustainable Energy for ALL Forum Needs a BOLD Call for Local Solutions

The 2022 Sustainable Energy for ALL (SEforALL) Forum will bring together people
from different parts of the world physically and virtually, to take stock of progress,
showcase success and identify solutions to achieve faster, broader gains towards
sustainable energy for all. According to the organizers, it is a platform to broker new
partnerships, spur investment, address challenges and drive action towards realizing
Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7) and a global clean energy transition. In 2022, SEforALL is following
through with a revamped and multi-year campaign called BE BOLD that is about giving everyone—
governments, businesses, development and financial institutions, and everyday citizens—a set of actions to help
realize affordable and clean energy for all.
The SEforALL Forum takes place in the final decade (2020 – 2030) to achieve SDG7 and against the backdrop of
UN Ministerial Thematic Forums on Energy (June 2021), the UN High-level Dialogue on Energy (September
2021), and the Glasgow UNFCCC COP26. The Forum is also a major milestone to buildup the agreed global call
for new and bolder commitments and ambition at COP27 in Egypt later this year. The Forum seeks to among
others, inspire and mobilize further bold action, partnerships, commitments, and resources by showcasing
innovation and impact that underpin economic recovery, empower women and youth, drive universal access to
healthcare and disrupt business as usual in order to achieve SDG7 by 2030.

During the virtual UN Ministerial Thematic Forums on Energy, the International Network for Sustainable Energy
(INFORSE) shared lessons on Local Solutions, Eco-Village Development and 100% Renewables based on
experiences from South Asia and East Africa. Also, in a policy brief to COP26, INFORSE partners noted that the
conditional mitigation parts of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) for the East African Countries
represent the most ambitious contributions to the Paris Agreement on climate mitigation. Specifically, INFORSE
partners stressed that ‘The East African countries and funding partners must cooperate to realize the updated NDC
targets with priority of sustainable local solutions that also contribute to poverty reduction and development and
with a target of 100% renewable energy’.

The periodic Global Stocktake (GST) to assess the collective progress towards achieving the purpose of the Paris
Agreement and its long-term goals should recognize that non-party stakeholders (including Civil Society
stakeholders) are an important source of information and can help to monitor compliance with states’ obligations
and pledges. Hence, INFORSE partners look at the GST as an important process to identify and close the gaps in
national climate plans to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement, to which it calls for inclusion of the missing
solutions (especially local solutions) that can contribute to reduce emissions from fossil fuels and from overuse of
biomass.

Ahead to COP27, INFORSE partners stress that renewable technologies are flexible, can be decentralized are
available at competitive (decreasing) prices, and are much cheaper than nuclear options. INFORSE partners add
that ‘Climate funds must be used on the real solutions and not on unsafe, false solutions such as nuclear or
geoengineering ones. In Africa, there is also abundant renewable resources and potential for local solutions with
mini grids with solar and wind, improved efficient cook stoves using less firewood, household biogas for cooking,
solar collectors, dryers, solar cookers etc.’

INFORSE is a network of CSOs (including East Africa). Since 1992, INFORSE and its members have worked for
sustainable energy to reduce climate and environmental impacts of energy for poverty reduction and development.
Read More about INFORSE’s work globally and in East Africa from here: https://www.inforse.org/ and the
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Catalogue of Local Sustainable Solutions – East Africa from here: http://www.localsolutions.inforse.org/

The UN Conference on the Human Environment took place in Stockholm, Sweden from 5-16 June 1972. It was
the UN’s first major conference on international environment issues, leading to the creation of the UN
Environment Programme (UNEP), which is headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya. This Conference laid the
foundation for a global outlook, and identified (26) common principles to inspire and guide the preservation and
enhancement of the human environment. Thus it came up with key proclamations duped the Stockholm
Declaration and Action Plan for the Human Environment.

In May 2021, governments agreed to convene the Stockholm+50 meeting in Stockholm from 2-3 June 2022,
during the week of World Environment Day, to commemorate the 1972 Stockholm Conference’s outcomes as “a
contribution to the environmental dimension of sustainable development to accelerate the implementation of
commitments in the context of the decade of action and delivery for sustainable development, including a
sustainable recovery from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

As part of this important review process, national consultations to reimagine a common, prosperous future on a
healthy planet are underway in 58 countries with financial support from the Government of Sweden and
facilitation by UNDP including Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda. In these consultations, Stockholm+50 calls for an
inclusive approach that reflects the richness and diversity of voices and perspectives of various stakeholder
groups: local governments, cities, civil society, women, indigenous peoples and local communities, faith-based
groups, academia, youth, industry, finance, and philanthropic foundations.

Uganda Coalition for Sustainable Development participated in the hybrid CSO consultations that involved group
work, where a contribution was made under Leadership Dialogue
1: Reflecting on the urgent need for actions to achieve a healthy
Reflecting on these (26) Stockholm
planet and prosperity of all. principles today, from an East African
Participants gave views on good
practices and pathways to restore lens points to a huge task ahead, 50 and regenerate a positive
relationship with nature; actions years later! including policies / structures to
scale up the change towards a healthy planet; How marginalized
and vulnerable groups could benefit from policies and
initiatives designed to restore a more sustainable and resilient relationship with nature and how to safeguard the
rights of people and nature, including indigenous peoples and local communities, environmental defenders,
women, youth, future generations in Uganda.

That aside, the Stockholm Declaration underscored 26 principles. Reflecting on these principles today, from an
East African lens points to a huge task ahead, 50 years later! On one side, East Africa has been vigilant on
cooperation on international environmental issues as evidenced in Articles 111, 112 and 114 of the East African
Community Treaty that provide for co-operation in environment and natural resources. The EAC Partner States
have agreed to take joint effort to co-operate in efficient management of these resources. Key priorities of the
sector include Climate Change adaptation and mitigation, natural resource management and biodiversity
conservation, disaster risk reduction and management, and pollution control and waste management.

On the contrary, whereas there has been commendable efforts to safeguard wildlife through cooperation, public
awareness and information; a lot remains to be done with regard to illicit wildlife trafficking. According to
TRAFFIC, East Africa is remains a wildlife trafficking hotspot. The region’s rich biodiversity and international
transport links make it an ideal poaching ground and a key transit route for international wildlife trafficking! East
Africa is also still struggling with pollution as a growing environmental challenge – arguably exceeding the
environment's capacity to clean itself especially in many of its fast growing urban areas, for example around Lake
Victoria. According to the East African Community secretariat, almost 90% of the energy sources in households
in the region is from traditional technologies that not only contribute to air pollution, but negatively impact on
Follow & preparations for the Stockholm +50 (June 2-3, 2022):
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human health and the environment!

https://www.stockholm50.global/
 East African Community Secretary General’s Forum: Provide Sustainable Energy to Health
Centers Across the Region

The Consultative Dialogue Framework (CDF) is a platform for the East African citizenry
to directly contribute to policy making process by identifying issues that directly affect
them and seeking both regional and national solutions. One of the main avenues for
engagement created by the CDF is the East African Community (EAC) Secretary
General’s Forum – an annual meeting consisting of civil society, private sector and other
interest groups that takes place once a year and rotates across all the EAC partner States.

The 2022 Secretary General’s Forum due to take place in Nairobi in May 2022, is on the theme ‘Towards a Post
COVID-19 recovery for socio-economic transformation’ with subthemes on positioning the private sector towards
recovery; inclusive governance and institutional strengthening for post COVID-19 recovery; and rule of law and
development in the EAC – shrinking space in the EAC.

A build up Uganda National consultative meeting organized by the Ministry of East African Community Affairs
(MEACA) was held on April 21, 2022 in Kampala. It was attended by CSOs, private sector, media and other
interest groups. The First Deputy Prime Minister of Uganda and Minister for East African Community Affairs –
The Rt.Hon. Rebecca Kadaga who was the chief guest, noted that theme of the Dialogue fits with the EAC
campaign for free movement of goods free movement of goods, workers services and labor; the right of
establishment and residence. She added that since adoption, the dialogues have scaled up level of interaction
between parties and built synergy and collaboration between dialogue parties and Government of Uganda.

Participants openly brought issues of concern to the Rt. Hon. Kadaga, to which she responded. These included the
importance of gender parity in the EAC processes, institutions and operations; need for increased transparency in
budget information across the EAC partner States; CSO operations hampered by closures of several NGOs and a
key funding entity (the Democratic Governance Facility); challenge of EAC Partners moving alone when
negotiating trade deals; sustained Non-Tariff Barriers resulting in traders reportedly being harassed; demand for
work permits in some EAC Partner States. She particularly expressed concern about the 'protectionist policy' that
still reigns in the region. Presentations followed by plenary discussions were also made on Uganda on positioning
the private sector towards economic recovery; Inclusive governance and institutional strengthening for post
Covid19 recovery; Rule of law and development in the EAC; and Leveraging Local Government Local Economic
Development policies for post Covid19 recovery.

It was interesting to hear concerns and options from participants on what a people-centered recovery post-
COVID-19 should entail. There was general agreement that the Covid19 crisis exposed and magnified the social
and economic inequalities in communities particularly the most vulnerable. It has also deepened inequalities
including limited access to information, education services, food insecurity, and the situation of women and girls,
and a significant increase in gender-based violence across households, societies and regions.

Because the pandemic laid bare the inadequacies in health care services across the region, this calls for a scaled up
response in the health sector by investing in primary health care, health promotion and disease prevention. In line
with the Abuja Declaration, 15% of government budgets should be earmarked to strengthen health systems and
ensure their preparedness for emergencies. Lack of energy for health centers was glaringly missing during the
Covid19 pandemic period to service the bloated number of patients. Therefore, a key take away for the EAC as
part of the post covid19 recovery is increased provision of sustainable energy supply to health centers as ‘front
liners’ in addressing health needs of communities. It is preferable that this is renewable energy as it provides
dividends as part of Agenda 2030.

The Annual EAC Secretary General’s meeting provides a forum for frank exchange of views on particular aspects
of the East African integration process, and comes up with recommendations for consideration and
implementation either by the dialogue parties or organs and institutions of the EAC.
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