SOUTH AFRICA: OESI PROPOSAL FOR ENVIRONMENTAL

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PRETORIA 001282

SIPDIS

STATE FOR OES/PCI/SPERLING, SHAW
STATE FOR AF/S, AF/EPS/SDRIANO

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OSCI SENV ETRD TSPL TBIO ECON SF
SUBJECT: SOUTH AFRICA: OESI PROPOSAL FOR ENVIRONMENTAL
GOVERNANCE

REF: A) STATE 35327; B) 04 PRETORIA 2001


1. Summary and introduction. Embassy Pretoria appreciates
the funding opportunity offered in Ref A and is pleased to
make a proposal in support of the OES Bureau's signature
initiative of Governance. The proposed activity fosters
strong cooperation between South African and U.S. officials,
builds strong technical foundations for future collaboration
in the environmental policy arena and provides an effective
way to convey U.S. values and policies on environmental
governance in a practical, applied context. Although the
activity is primarily bilateral in focus, we expect that
South Africa will in the future share lessons learned on
environmental governance with other countries in the region,
through various international and regional fora and at a
conference planned for August 2006 in South Africa. This
proposal has been coordinated with the relevant OES point of
contact and with REHO Gaborone, and is keyed to Ref A
format. End summary and introduction.

A) Project title: Capacity Building for Environmental
Governance

B) Strategic goals addressed by the project: environmental
protection, environmental governance, conservation of
biodiversity/wildlife.

C) Problem/issue addressed by the project: building capacity
of the South African government to implement a new body of
environmental legislation, including enforcement of rules
against industrial pollution, wildlife smuggling and marine
smuggling.

D) Anticipated results: new environmental management
inspectors receive comprehensive training that incorporates
U.S. expertise and advice; prosecutors have heightened
understanding and awareness of environmental cases (many for
the first time ever),benefiting from the perspectives of
USEPA and U.S. Department of Justice; and, South Africa's
effectiveness in pursuing environmental investigations and
prosecutions greatly improves: the number of cases
developed, brought to trial, and successfully prosecuted
grows significantly.

E) U.S. security interests are furthered through stronger
government-to-government collaboration. The relationships
and networks developed through this project can potentially
support efforts on bioterrorism.

F) Through improved environmental compliance, the project
supports sustainable economic growth and development in
South Africa, a top Mission Program Plan priority.
Strengthening the government's ability to enforce its
environmental statutes will support improved governance and
by extension, political stability.

G) Recipient of funds will be the U.S. Embassy in Pretoria,
through a fund cite obligation; the Embassy's Narcotics and
Law Enforcement Affairs (NLEA) section will assist Economic
Section/EST Unit in managing and accounting for the money,
as it has with FY 2004-5 AF ESF monies.

H) Project Description:

The project builds on successful activities and partnerships
that began in 2005, with support from bilateral AF ESF
funding.

Background: In 2004, South Africa finalized new
environmental legislation (Ref B),which provided for the
establishment of a corps of environmental management
inspectors (EMIs) empowered to work on environmental
compliance and investigations. Representatives from the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the UK Environment
Agency (EA) collaborated with the South African Department
of Environmental Affairs (DEAT) in the planning and staging
of a wide-ranging symposium in February 2005 to solicit
extensive feedback from various stakeholders (at national,
provincial, and local levels; government and civil society)
on inspector training needs. Following the symposium and a
model training course led by EPA experts, the EPA, EA and
DEAT representatives developed comprehensive training
courses and related materials for five different "grades" of
inspectors. EPA experts and their UK counterparts will
return to assist with the first EMI training course in
August 2005. This "bridging" training will focus on
upgrading the skills and capacity of many existing
environmental officers to enable them to become full-fledged
environmental management inspectors, according to new laws
and regulations. Some provinces are beginning to hire new
EMIs and these new hires will also be trained. DEAT plans
to run five two-week long EMI training sessions around the
country.

The second, complementary activity also underway involves
collaboration between EPA, U.S. Department of Justice, DEAT
and South Africa's National Prosecuting Authority (NPA),to
develop and deliver a four-day training workshop for about
30 hand-picked prosecutors from NPA offices around the
country, planned for July 2005. As part of the process for
planning and delivering the prosecutor training, DEAT will
also develop comprehensive training materials to share with
the national Justice College, which trains both prosecutors
and magistrates (judges).

Next steps: The project to be funded by OESI will build on
the strong base of successful inspector training and
prosecutor training started in 2005. In addition to
quarterly "feedback sessions," which will include EPA and UK
EA experts by videoconference and focus on improving and
fine-tuning the EMI training, DEAT expects to offer training
for large numbers of newly-hired EMIs in April 2006 and to
host a first-ever environmental compliance conference in
August 2006. We propose to use some of the OESI funding to
support participation of EPA experts in the EMI training and
the conference. DEAT plans to invite colleagues from the
region to join the conference.

In addition, interest in prosecutor training is high but the
July 2005 session will accommodate only 30 participants.
DEAT would like to hold a second prosecutor training session
in 2006. The NPA strongly supports the environmentally
focused prosecutor training, but its resources, based on
local pressures, are directed at dealing with violent crime.
Therefore, we propose to use OESI funds to enable U.S.
experts to travel to South Africa to help conduct a second
training course, as well as to fund local travel costs and
conferencing costs for 30 additional prosecutors to benefit
from the training.

I) Performance targets: April 2006, delivery of inspector
training course; June 2006, delivery of prosecutor training
course; August 2006, US participation in environmental
enforcement conference.

J) Assumptions: continued strong support from and engagement
with partners at EPA, DOJ and South Africa's DEAT and NPA.

K) Total proposed cost: $60,000.

L) Funding is requested for the travel costs for U.S.
experts to participate in the inspector and prosecutor
training and symposia planned for 2006, and to cover
conference venue hire, lodging and travel costs for
prosecutors participating in the prosecutor training course.
Travel expenses (U.S.-South Africa return airfare, lodging
and M&IE) for U.S. experts: $40,000.
Conference Venue/Lodging for approximately 25 SA
prosecutors: $10,000.
Local travel costs for approximately 25 SA prosecutors:
$10,000.

M) Principal partners: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
U.S. Department of Justice, SA Department of Environmental
Affairs and Tourism.

N) Role and resources contributed by partners: expertise and
staff time for planning, development of training materials
and participation in activities. DEAT will also contribute
staff time for event logistics planning and will fund the
venue and other related costs for hosting the inspector
training activity.

O) OES/HUB sponsoring offices: OES/PCI point of contact for
Governance signature initiative supports the proposal, as
does Gaborone-based Regional Environmental and Health Hub
Officer for southern Africa. Embassy Pretoria's Econ/EST
Unit, with NLEA assistance, has responsibility for
implementation and coordination of the project.


2. Embassy Pretoria Point of Contact for the proposal is
ES&T Officer Jill Derderian, Tel +27-12-431-4345, Fax +27-12-
342-6163, e-mail: derderianjx@state.gov. Endorsing Regional
Environmental Hub Officer is Ted Pierce, Tel +267-395-3982,
x5257, Fax +267-395-6947, e-mail: piercets@state.gov.

FRAZER