US embassy cable - 05PRETORIA1282

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