Namibia
NAMIBIA COUNTRY STATEMENT AT THE COMMISSION ON
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: INTERGOVERNMENTAL
PREPARATORY MEETING, 23-27 FEBRUARY 2009, NEW YORK
Madam Chairperson,
Namibia associates itself with statement made by distinguished delegate from
Sudan on behalf of G77/China.
Namibia is confident that our inputs at this meeting will constitute important
elements for the 17th Session of the Commission on Sustainable Development
(CSD) meeting later this year. Namibia is extremely pleased to have been a cohost
of the High Level Intersessional Meeting of the Commission on Sustainable
Development, which took place in Windhoek from the 9th-10th February 2009.
Namibia fully endorses the Windhoek High-Level Ministerial Declaration on
African Agriculture in the 21st Century: Meeting the Challenges, Making a
Sustainable Green Revolution which was adopted by African Ministers.
We all agree that infrastructure is vital for the growth of our economies, especially
infrastructural support on agriculture. Roads, railways and other communication
networks are integral parts of the production and marketing development chain.
Equally important, is the issue of access to markets and technology transfer
particularly with regards to strengthened research and development. Thus, efforts
need to be made to invest in our research centers which can serves as nodes of
technological diffusion for industrialization.
We are a country with special needs in the broadest context of sustainable
development. The nature of our agriculture production system is unique. Our
difficulty and harsh environmental constraints make Namibia extremely vulnerable
to external shocks. We are a drought prone country, with much of the land not
suitable for crop production. The issue of land degradation, known as
?desertification?, is of concern to the entire country. As we started the
implementation of our green scheme, we found it important to pay particular
attention to the issue of food security in the country, improved production,
environmental sustainability, and social strengthening.
In order to overcome these challenges, the government will seek to undertake
specific interventions including investments in soil fertility and health, improved
access to quality seeds, small-scale water management, strengthening of extension
services, strategies to cope and adapt to climate change, promotion of good land use
practices, and diversification of production systems. These are all necessary efforts
to ensure food security, accelerate economic growth, and increase productivity. We
do not advocate that these measures be emulated by all countries. Due to our
unique environmental condition, we believe that these measures will bring us the
desired outcomes.
I thank you.
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: INTERGOVERNMENTAL
PREPARATORY MEETING, 23-27 FEBRUARY 2009, NEW YORK
Madam Chairperson,
Namibia associates itself with statement made by distinguished delegate from
Sudan on behalf of G77/China.
Namibia is confident that our inputs at this meeting will constitute important
elements for the 17th Session of the Commission on Sustainable Development
(CSD) meeting later this year. Namibia is extremely pleased to have been a cohost
of the High Level Intersessional Meeting of the Commission on Sustainable
Development, which took place in Windhoek from the 9th-10th February 2009.
Namibia fully endorses the Windhoek High-Level Ministerial Declaration on
African Agriculture in the 21st Century: Meeting the Challenges, Making a
Sustainable Green Revolution which was adopted by African Ministers.
We all agree that infrastructure is vital for the growth of our economies, especially
infrastructural support on agriculture. Roads, railways and other communication
networks are integral parts of the production and marketing development chain.
Equally important, is the issue of access to markets and technology transfer
particularly with regards to strengthened research and development. Thus, efforts
need to be made to invest in our research centers which can serves as nodes of
technological diffusion for industrialization.
We are a country with special needs in the broadest context of sustainable
development. The nature of our agriculture production system is unique. Our
difficulty and harsh environmental constraints make Namibia extremely vulnerable
to external shocks. We are a drought prone country, with much of the land not
suitable for crop production. The issue of land degradation, known as
?desertification?, is of concern to the entire country. As we started the
implementation of our green scheme, we found it important to pay particular
attention to the issue of food security in the country, improved production,
environmental sustainability, and social strengthening.
In order to overcome these challenges, the government will seek to undertake
specific interventions including investments in soil fertility and health, improved
access to quality seeds, small-scale water management, strengthening of extension
services, strategies to cope and adapt to climate change, promotion of good land use
practices, and diversification of production systems. These are all necessary efforts
to ensure food security, accelerate economic growth, and increase productivity. We
do not advocate that these measures be emulated by all countries. Due to our
unique environmental condition, we believe that these measures will bring us the
desired outcomes.
I thank you.
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