East African Network re-launched!
The East African Network for Environmental Compliance and Enforcement (EANECE) has been re-launched. EANECE is common dialogue and action platform among local, national, regional and international environmental management and regulatory institutions, NGOs, private sector, higher learning and research institutions and professionals involved in environmental governance in the East African states of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. The network aims to foster sustainable development in East Africa through better implementation, compliance with and enforcement of environmental laws and policies. It seeks to achieve this by: promoting regional harmonization of environmental laws and regulatory frameworks; capacity building; sharing of information on priority environmental enforcement and compliance issues; and advancing the strengthening of relationships among members to improve cooperation on inter-agency and cross-border environmental issues.
Established in 2010, EANECE has over the years stood out as a good model of how local, national and regional cooperation can achieve environmental benefits at local, national and international levels. In an environment where technical capacity, finances and human resources are often lacking, the network has demonstrated complementary efforts to the work of regulatory agencies in assuring compliance with national environmental laws as well as international obligations. However, the network slipped into a brief period of dormancy between 2017 – 2019 due to resource challenges.
The re-launching of EANECE follows a series of consultative activities and stakeholder engagements over the past one year that were coordinated by the Environmental Compliance Institute (ECI). The EANECE Secretariat is housed and coordinated by ECI. With support from UN Environment Programme’s Law Division, EANECE has developed a new Strategic Plan for the period 2020-2025, a Fundraising & Sustainability Strategy and a Communication Plan. EANECE has also re-branded and launched a new website.
EANECE’s programs and projects for the period 2020-2025 will be guided by the priorities outlined in the Strategic Plan, namely:
- Climate Change and Air Quality – working at the nexus of climate change and air quality, EANECE will assist member countries and institutions to enhance policy and legislative actions as well as improved institutional capacities at national and regional levels in order to deliver multiple benefits from the mitigation of CO2 and SCLPs.
- Chemicals and Waste – EANECE will work with member countries and institutions to enhance policy and legislative frameworks as well institutional capacities to reduce the adverse impacts of exposure to chemicals and waste.
- Biodiversity and Ecosystems – EANECE will work with member countries and institutions to enhance national and regional governance frameworks for the protection of East Africa’s biodiversity and ecosystems.
For more information please contact the EANECE Secretariat ([email protected]).