Regional MP’s discuss environmental security

KAMPALA - The regional Parliamentary Forum on Environmental Security in Eastern Africa kicks off today at Speke Resort Munyonyo, in Kampala-Uganda. The two-day conference aims at creating awareness as well as building strategies on how parliamentarians and other stakeholders can effectively address the challenges related to environmental security.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

KAMPALA - The regional Parliamentary Forum on Environmental Security in Eastern Africa kicks off today at Speke Resort Munyonyo, in Kampala-Uganda.

The two-day conference aims at creating awareness as well as building strategies on how parliamentarians and other stakeholders can effectively address the challenges related to environmental security.

The forum, hosted under the initiative of the AMANI Forum, Eastern African Police Chiefs Cooperation Organisation (EAPCCO) and the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), brings together Members of Parliament from 9 Eastern African countries and the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA).

"The security of the environment is an important dimension of peace and human rights and is central to national, regional and global issues,” said Rose Mwebaza, Senior Legal Advisor on environmental security at the Institute of Security Studies in Nairobi.

She added that the collective experience of regional MPs will be essential in the mobilization of good political will and effective response mechanisms to curb the negative effects of environmental mismanagement.

The forum provides an opportunity to address environmental security concerns in the region through enhanced collaboration between lawmakers and other stakeholders.

AMANI forum is an initiative of African parliamentarians in the Great Lakes Region which aims at eliminating armed conflicts and promoting peace and democratic governance through peaceful resolution of conflicts.

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