Arab Network for Environmental Compliance and Enforcement

UNCLAS AMMAN 001611 SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/ELA, NEA/RA, AND OES STATE PASS TO USAID EPA FOR INTERNATIONAL/MEDEARIS USDA FOR FOREST SERVICE/INTERNATIONAL INTERIOR FOR INTERNATIONAL/WASHBURNE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SENV PREL ECON AORC KMPI XF JO SUBJECT: Arab Network for Environmental Compliance and Enforcement (ANECE) Established for the MENA Region ¶1. The Arab Network for Environmental Compliance and Enforcement (ANECE) was established during a regional meeting held June 18-19 in Jordan. Funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the State Department's Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI),ANECE aims to increase the effectiveness of enforcement agencies at the national level and promote compliance with environmental requirements to ensure high levels of environmental protection in the region. ¶2. Participants in the meeting included public and private sector representatives from Egypt, Libya, Lebanon, Morocco, Yemen, and England. Experts from other regional networks located worldwide -- including the Environment Agency for England and Wales, the Network for Environmental Compliance and Enforcement in the Maghreb (NECEMA),the European Network for Implementation and Enforcement of Environmental Law (IMPEL),and the Central and Eastern Europe Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Network for Accession (ECENA) -- shared their experiences and challenges in establishing similar networks. Recognizing Jordanian efforts to initiate ANECE, participants agreed that Jordan, represented by the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN),will host the Secretariat which will be in charge of developing a communication strategy, executing a multi-year work program, and ensuring that participants and other interested parties are kept connected. ¶3. A key deliverable from the meeting was a Strategic Work Plan that outlines next steps for ensuring future cooperation and exchange of information among regional countries. Capacity building and training of inspectors and enforcers, as well as public awareness of the importance of environmental compliance and enforcement, were identified as critical areas for joint projects. ANECE plans to seek financial support from different donors with the assistance of the International Network for Environmental Compliance and Enforcement (INECE). INECE will also provide support in designing future projects, developing research, and promoting ANECE activities online and among other networks. At the conclusion of the meeting, participants issued on June 19 a Joint Statement in which they agreed to inform and involve all concerned parties within their own governments, other governments in the Arab region not present, regional organizations, and the donor community active in the establishment of ANECE. Visit Amman's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman BEECROFT