6 2 S O U T H E R N A F R I C A N D E V E L O P M E N T Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs); and Ramsar Convention. In addition, Member States are committed to resources including transboundary ecosystems; • the attainment of Millennium Development Goal of ensuring environmental sustainability. • Integration of environmental and sustainable development issues into sectoral, national and sub- environmental management, the Region continues to regional socio-economic planning. • loss of biodiversity, pollution, and inadequate access to clean water and sanitation services and poor urban Harmonization of National Environmental Policies and legal frameworks While some encouraging progress has been made in experience high levels of land degradation, deforestation, C O M M U N I T Y Development of harmonized environmental information system; • Build capacity for collection, management and conditions. These factors are linked to the high and rising exchange of information/data for the sustainable levels of poverty in the Region, whereby the poor are both management of environment and natural resources. victims and agents of environmental degradation. These • environmental challenges undermine the sustainability of environment and natural resources management, the socio-economic development of the region. including transboundary ecosystems • 4.7.2 Overall Goal The overall goal of the environment intervention is to ensure the equitable and sustainable use of the environment and natural resources for the benefit of Development and implementation programmes on Harmonization of positions and coordination of regional efforts to ensure maximum benefit for SADC Member States in all MEAs; and coordination of the development and implementation of national and sub-regional action programmes and resource mobilization. present and future generations. 4.7.3 Areas of Focus • • Creating the requisite harmonized policy environ- environment and natural resources finalized by 2006; promote regional cooperation on all issues relating to Target 2: Environmental standards and guidelines environment and natural resources management developed and being implemented by 2008; including transboundary ecosystems; Target 3: State of Environment Reports for Southern Promote environmental mainstreaming in order to Africa produced regularly at intervals of five years; gies and programmes for sustainable development; Regular assessment, monitoring and reporting on environmental conditions and trends in the SADC region; • • Target 1: Legal instrument for regional cooperation in ment, as well as legal and regulatory frameworks to ensure the responsiveness of all SADC policies, strate• 4.7.5 TARGETS Capacity building, information sharing and aware- Target 4: The Strategy and Programme for the Management of the Brown Environment in southern Africa finalized and being implemented by 2005; Target 5: Finalization of the Strategy and Programme for Brown Environment Management in Southern ness creation on problems and perspectives in en- Africa; vironmental management; Target 6: Adoption of environment responsive plan- Ensuring a coordinated regional positions in the ning and implementation processes, regular environ- negotiations and implementation of MEAs; and other ment and sustainable development capacity building agreements and training programmes by 2007; Target 7: Implementation of at least 50% of the 4.7.4 Strategies • Development a legal framework for regional cooperation in areas of environment and natural transboundary natural resources management programmes and projects in line with NEPAD initiated by 2008;