Three different chemical conventions are dedicated to monitoring pollution issues including implementation of the 2011 UNEP report on the clean-up of Ogoni land, according to Executive Secretary of the CBD Secretariat, Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias.
During an interview with Leadership Newspaper, Souza Dias explained that reducing pollination is one of the key targets of the convention, adding that oil spillage which was largely responsible for the pollution in the Niger Delta area had a negative impact on the ecosystems and biodiversity.
Souza Dias who explained that CBD lacks the mechanism to deal with pollution matters, noted that the Secretariat would work together with the chemical conventions dedicated to pollution.
"Spillage did not only impact on the local population but also impacts on the ecosystems, we do have our specific targets, and target 8 is to reduce pollutions and ecosystems, the CBD itself did not have mechanism to deal with issues of pollutions, but we work together with Chemical conventions, there are three chemical conventions that are based in Geneva, and they are dedicated to solving different kinds of pollution issues we are going to work together with them because they are the ones that have better mechanisms to deal with these issues. We are looking an it, because it is an important threat to the source of biodiversity," he said.
He explained further that funding was a major factor responsible for poor protection of biodiversity in Africa, noting that the environment sector is one of the weakest government sector across the globe.
"Funding is part of the problem for sure, in almost all the countries, not just Africa, the Environment sector is one of the weakest ministries in government, it is a common practice, not just in Africa. Countries need to increase their access to financial resource, the CBD in our COP12 two years ago in Korea, parties agreed on tariff on resource organisation, the most important one is that by 2015, last year, the international flows of funding from developed countries to developing countries should double, based on the baseline of the average between international flows from 2006 -2010 precedes in that direction in some countries which already provided the information before 2015, we have seen that they are complying with that, but not all countries have made their information available," he added.
This article also appeared in Liberty Times.
Adebiyi Adedapo
