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Africa urged to ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

3 March, 2021
Africa urged to ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

Brazzaville, Congo, March 03, 2021 (ECA) – Implementing sustainable development goal number 12 on sustainable consumption and production is important as it cuts across all the other SDGs and assists countries to achieve overall development plans, reduce future economic, environmental and social costs, strengthen economic competitiveness and reduce poverty.

This was said Wednesday by the Director of Technology, Climate Change and Natural Resources Management Division of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), Mr. Jean-Paul Adam, during a parallel meeting at the ongoing 7th African Regional Forum for Sustainable Development (ARFSD).

He said Africa needs to do more to ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.

Mr. Adam pleaded with countries on the continent and partners to significantly invest in research and modernize technological tools to avoid the pitfalls of unsustainable production and consumption. He also called on the continent to do more to protect its oceans.

“It is necessary to translate the wishes expressed in the SDG12 into concrete actions,” the ECA Director said.

For her part, the Regional Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) for Africa, Juliette Biao Koudenoukpo, urged the ECA to take the lead in initiating dialogue with the African Union Commission (AUC) on key decisions that have been taken at continental level but remained to be implemented.

Such recommendations, she said, can help address some of the issues being discussed at the Forum. For example, Ms. Koudenoukpo noted the failure by AU member States to implement a resolution calling on them to spend at least 15% of their Gross domestic product (GDP) on health by 2020.

“COVID-19 has shown the fragility of African states in this area,” she said, adding sustainable development in Africa had been severely hampered by the pandemic.

The UNEP Regional Director acknowledged that significant progress had been made in the implementation of SDG12, but added more remained to be done, especially regarding women and smallholder farmers’ access to land.

The Representative of Morocco, Mr. Ben Yahia, gave a presentation on the implementation of SDG12 in his country.

The Sub-Regional Coordinator for East Africa and Representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to the AUC and ECA, Mr. Chimimba David Phiri, said the continent could do better in trying to ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.

 

The theme of the 7th ARFSD is “Building forward better: towards a resilient and green Africa to achieve the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063.”

 

Issued by:

Communications Section

Economic Commission for Africa

PO Box 3001

Addis Ababa

Ethiopia

Tel: +251 11 551 5826

E-mail: eca-info@un.org