Asmara — East African member states of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) held a Council Conference here in Asmara from October 18 to 19. The conference is aimed at making preparations for the forthcoming international conference of the organization's higher bodies which is scheduled to take place in the United States next November.

The participants of the conference here held discussion on the tasks of international financial mechanism on the environment, the charting of programs for tackling climate change and the financial contribution of member states to implement projects. Each member state also presented a report on the activities it carried out within the framework of the GEFX.

Addressing the opening session, the Minister of Land, Water and Environment, Mr. Woldenkiel Gebremariam, noted the significant resolutions adopted on the basis of the GEF higher body meeting that was held in November 2006 regarding budgeting, mapping out strategies in harnessing natural resources and their implementation, as well as on careful utilization of land resources.

It is to be recalled that Eritrea joined the Global Environment Facility in 1995, and it is chairing the GEF Council for the period 2007-2008.

The East African member states of the GEF are Eritrea, the Comoros, Djibouti, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Ethiopia. There are also plans for Somalia's membership in the organization.