Environment minister addresses parliament on department progress and joining GEF integrated program on food security
Environment
minister addresses parliament on department progress and joining
GEF integrated program on food security
The Department for Environmental Management and Agriculture
(DEMA) secured its application to join the Global Environmental
Facility's integrated program on food security.
Minister Jesse Jeremiah told parliament in April the department
is now working on developing a full detailed proposal valued at $5
million and a possible additional funding of $1.5 million.
He said the integrated programs are the first of their kind and
the department recognises the importance of accessing any
additional finance from multilateral partners, adding that
preserving Nauru's groundwater resource is crucial.
"In the last budget, government approved $220,000 for the
procurement of septic tanks for households and a further $80,000
was approved in this current budget to install these systems to
mitigate the contamination of our groundwater resource," Minister
Jeremiah said.
DEMA's primary role is to develop policies and to facilitate the
development of regulations and laws to better manage Nauru's
environment.
To strengthen the enforcement and enactment of the Environmental
Management and Climate Change Act, the department is working with
partners to develop a number of regulations related to
environmental impact assessments, landfill, and asbestos.
The department is working with a local contractor and Nauru
Ports to remove three containers of legacy asbestos or asbestos in
building materials such as insulation, pipes, tiles and other
construction materials. They will be disposed of off-shore.
Minister Jeremiah also updated the parliament of his attendance
at the United Nations Environment Assembly in Nairobi from 29
February to 1 March. This was Nauru's first attendance.
Member states and stakeholders discussed how to address the
interlinkages of the three planetary environmental crises - climate
change, biodiversity loss, and pollution, and a national statement
was also delivered emphasising the need for multilateral system
that reduces inequalities on all fronts to support micro island
developing states such as Nauru.
The department is also working with the United Nations
Development Program (UNDP) to secure funding under the Global
Development and South-South Cooperation Fund and the new Global
Biodiversity Framework Fund to gain access to climate smart
agricultural technologies and to address the challenges of invasive
species. An amount of $4 million is expected to be secured.
ENDS///