Windhoek — REPRESENTATIVES from English-speaking African countries have converged in Windhoek to familiarise themselves with eligibility activities of the Global Environment Facility, (GEF) which would enable them to get funding for sustainable land management projects.

The GEF made land degradation its focal point to enable people to take care of their immediate needs before they can care for the environment.

The 10-year-old facility has noted that people could not care for the environment when they struggle in their day-to-day lives.

Andrea Kutter, an environmental specialist with GEF, said yesterday in the facility's deals with global public goods such as water, climate, biodiversity and ecosystem integrity, land is a major concern because people are engaged in practices that harm the ecosystem.

"The ecosystem is out of balance," she said.

Opening the workshop yesterday, Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, Dr Malan Lindeque said Namibia has come to realise that there is an urgent need for developing a critical mass of human resources that are capable of addressing the key environmental problems facing the country.

"Resource and land managers at all levels, including farmers, harvesters, wood cutters, municipalities, national governments and even industry concerned with natural resources have to be aware of and be trained in sustainable environmental management practices," he said.

In attendance at the workshop are 80 participants from focal points of the United Nation's Convention on Biological Diversity, GEF operational and regional focal points and sub-regional organisations such as SADC, COMESA, national experts and non-governmental organisations.

The workshop will enable the countries to enhance their knowledge of GEF eligibility criteria and structure of a project proposal to be submitted to the organisation for funding under the Operational Programme on Sustainable Land Management (OP15).

Kutter said the facility has funds amounting to US$250 million for it to raise awareness, do training courses and harmonise policies in developing countries all over the world. These include countries in Africa, Latin America and Asia, among others.

She said Namibia is spearheading the approach considering that it has played a key role in the field of combating land degradation in Africa within the framework of UNCCD. It was on this basis that Namibia was also selected to host the three-day workshop.

Several countries such as Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia and Kenya in Africa, China and Indonesia in Asia and Brazil and Nicaragua in Latin America are now preparing themselves to embark on GEF funded projects.

Dr Lindeque said desertification is one of the greatest challenges posed by the process of land degradation, which threatens the livelihoods of many Namibians as well as inhabitants of other African countries.

He said time has come to address deforestation, bush encroachment, overgrazing and other forms of land degradation.

"We need increasing awareness that these issues must be addressed in a coordinated manner involving all relevant stakeholders," said the PS.

Dr Lindeque said it is important for Namibia to engage in international initiatives and as such the country has established policy and legal frameworks that help the country address environmental and developmental issues.

The workshop is the third in a series of nine sub-regional meetings being organised by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), MET, the United Nations Development Programme, UNESCO the Secretariat, Food and Agricultural Organisation and the World Bank.

The first and second workshops were held in Qeshm Island in Iran and Tunis in Tunisia respectively. The Namibia workshop will be followed by workshops in Fiji, Kaza-khstan, Brazil, Jamaica, Geneva and Thailand.