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Home / Sustainable development advisory council members re-appointed
Sustainable development advisory council members re-appointed
2015-11-04Staff Report 2 Windhoek Members of the Sustainable Development Advisory Council of the Ministry of Environment and Tourism yesterday signed their re-appointment letters endorsing them to serve for another three years. Minister of Environment and Tourism Pohamba Shifeta announced the re-appointment of the members to the media, when they signed their appointment letters on Tuesday. Shifeta said most members were retained, with only one replacement. “Most have done well, otherwise they would not have been re-appointed,” Shifeta said. However, the minister also wants the council to be more visible and vocal in order to influence national discourse on sustainable development. “We need the general public to be aware of the council and for the public and other stakeholders to have a platform to bring issues to the attention of the council and interact with it,” said Shifeta. Highlighting some of the work of the advisory council, Shifeta said the council undertook a fact-finding mission to look into on-the-ground challenges and opportunities facing community-based natural resource management. “I am looking forward to the recommendations from this mission and for the council to contribute in terms of how we can enhance the viability of this programme for it to further improve the livelihoods of our people in the rural areas,” Shifeta said. The members of the Sustainable Development Advisory Council are Dr Malan Lindeque, the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Environment and Tourism Martha Naanda, and Sophie Kasheeta, the deputy permanent secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry. Kasheeta replaced Anna Shiweda of the same ministry, who became a member of parliament. Other members include the director of the geological survey in the Ministry of Mines and Energy, Gabriele Schneider, Sioni Iikela, a youth representative, Dr Chris Brown, the executive of Sustainable Solutions Trust, Dr Michael Humavindu, a research expert and deputy permanent secretary in the Ministry of Industrialisation, Trade and SME Development as well as Environment Commissioner Teofilus Nghitila. The Sustainable Development Advisory Council is legislated for under Article 6 of the Environment Management Act of 2007. The Minister of Environment and Tourism is mandated to appoint members of the council, which represent both the interests of the State and organisations, associations or institutions concerned with environmental matters, Shifeta explained. “Members are appointed for an initial period of three years, with a possibility of re-appointment at the end of that term,” he said. The council was set up in 2013 and its functions include promoting co-operation and co-ordination between organs of State, non-governmental agencies and community-based organisations on environmental issues relating to sustainable development. 2015-11-04Staff Report 2
