The following guiding questions are aligned to each of the three main Leadership Dialogues planned for the Stockholm+50 meeting and will be integrated into the overall consultation agenda and report. Please refer to the question number in your comment.

LD3: Accelerating the implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development in the context of the decade of action and delivery for sustainable development:
 

  1. What are the biggest challenges we are facing in implementing the commitments to the 2030 Agenda and other environmental commitments (MEAs)? How do we create an enabling environment for delivery on the ground?
     
  2. What are the good practices and pathways that you would like to see scaled up to accelerate the implementation of the environmental dimension of Sustainable Development in the context, of the Decade of Action?
     
  3. How to transform governance and legal systems that maintain long-term economic stability and ecological and social wellbeing for all? 
     
  4. What measures are needed to align public, private and development finance with existing commitments and priorities?
     
  5. What type of partnerships from the UN and beyond are needed to accelerate a green and sustainable economic transformation that leaves no one behind?
     
  6. What capacities and technologies are needed to improve human wellbeing in harmony with nature? nature?

Comments (3)

Uchenna Anslem Amadi
Uchenna Anslem Amadi

Q12.

i) Lack of finance for the Environmental commitments-As a developing country, finance is a major constraint for Nigeria towards achieving this agenda.

ii) Competing interest with other components of the agenda.

iii) Accountability and monitoring of progress.

iv)Getting the involvement of the right stakeholders.

v) Unavailability of quality infrastructures

vi) Weak institutional capacity

vii) Unavailability of expert personnel

b) How we can create enabling environment;

i) Government should create more opportunities for partnership with the private sector in order to ensure the full cooperation of the two sectors of the country, facilitating investment in the sector such as investment in low carbon economy and climate resilience activities by the private sector.

ii) Government should invest in Research and Development in the environmental sector such as in climate change and the various challenges that might come up in trying to combat its impacts and creating solutions to work through this challenges.

iii)  The creation of awareness on climate change issue around the country should be intensified to ensure that no body is left out.

iv) There is need for capacity building and institutional reformation to ensure environmental resilience efforts are intensified,

Q13.

One of the good practices is the use of environmental management tools such as the EIA/ESIA studies to sustainably manage the environmental dimension of all projects that have the potentials to impact on the environment from pre-construction, construction, operation to the decommissioning phases. However, this can be scaled up by increasing enforcement efforts and ensuring that all proposed project undergo the EIA/ESIA processes and equally expand the climate change studies associated with such projects, including the measurement of  baseline GHG emission  activity data, etc., of the projects. If EIA/ESIA studies are appropriately strengthened, it can function as a one stop shop document for generating environmental and climate change baseline data such as GHG Emission of all proposed projects that have potential impacts on the environment. EIA/ESIA makes adequate provisions for capturing all environmental impacts of projects, including climate change impacts and the development of a comprehensive management plan for the management of these impacts from the design phase, through the construction and operation phases of the projects to the decommissioning phase. It equally recommends Environmental Management System for implementing the Environmental Management Plan (EMP/ESMP). EIA/ESIA carry out the monitoring of the performance of projects via using Environmental Impact Mitigation Monitoring (IMM) instrument during the construction phase and Environmental Audit Assessment during the operation phase of the project. Apart from other studies, initiatives such as Extended Producers Responsibility, climate change aspects such as GHG emission measurement, etc., contributing to National GHG emission inventory for instance, can all be mainstreamed here, from generation of baseline activity data to monitoring the projects performance regarding this aspects and all other relevant aspects from cradle to grave.

Since any aspect of the Environmental dimension of a project can be monitored and reported throughout its life cycle using the EIA/ESIA, then there is no need to reinvent the wheel. All we need do is to go back and study the processes of EIA/ESIA and include missing environmental dimensions if any. Then during implementation, enforcement is key. Strong provisions should be made for adequate enforcement by the regulators so that all potentially impacting projects must be captured within this framework. The provision for using EIA/ESIA is already established by the EIA ACT of 1992 (Cap E12 LFN 2004 as amended).

 

 

Chammang Atinuke
Chammang Atinuke

12.

  1. Illiteracy
  2. Poverty
  3. Power failure
  4. Inadequate equipment
  5. Lack of awareness.

13.

  1. Sensitization and awareness.
  2. Tree planting
  3. Establishment of parks and garden.
  4. Establishment of briquettes and clean cook stove centres.
  5. Scale up good sanitation and hygiene practices.

14.

  1. Equity and Justice for vulnerable youth and women.
  2. Political will.
  3. Continuity.

15. Create awareness.

17. 

  • ​​​​​Strengthening green innovation programmes .
  • Capacity building and training for all.

18.

  1. Research and development on green innovation technologies.
  2. Capacity building or training.
Uchenna Anslem Amadi
Uchenna Anslem Amadi

Q14.

The desire to diversify the economy can be a driver of the circular economy agenda in Nigeria. However, a robust regulatory framework and effective enforcement of legislation will be needed to drive the transition to a green and circular economy and attract the required investments. The use of regulations is necessary to address all forms of unsustainable consumption and production patterns, either by creating standards or prohibiting entirely certain operations and activities. Standards can be effective in promoting markets for green goods and services, can induce efficiency and stimulate innovation and protect and support businesses that produce sustainable products from unsustainable competitors. Even though some scattered circular activities are happening in Nigeria, the country needs governance that focuses on a holistic policy framework including a clear vision and an action plan with policy priorities at the sector level. Within such a framework, the promotion of circular economy activities can be a means to reduce environmental impacts while simultaneously addressing societal and economic challenges such as unemployment and poverty. Also, capacity building regarding governance and technical competence, to ensure understanding of the policy needs as well as the most viable path for implementation and enforcement is necessary.

Q15.

Whether you are looking at the public, private or development finance structure, policies, regulations and legislations that make provisions for the establishment of CE investment funds and programmes by these structures should be developed and enforced. These programmes should be shaped in a flexible manner so that small-scale innovative companies with circular practices can receive funding, regardless of whether they brand themselves as ‘circular’. Newly established financial institutions such as the Development Bank of Nigeria offer significant potential to contribute to the promotion of a sustainable economic development in Nigeria Important investment barriers that need to be addressed in Nigeria include corruption, limited access to finance and high levels of inflation. Improving the investment climate could help to attract investments that contribute to the development of local industries, leveraging on the experience of foreign companies with circular economy practices. Ensuring that circularity promotion is better mainstreamed in the existing private funds/financial instruments of key development agencies is vital. One of the sectors that has a high potential in Nigeria in this respect is the chemicals sector, where local value chains can be built up to create chemicals from waste components.

Q16.

The recommended partnership from the UN is required to provide support to Nigeria in the following areas;

  • Capacity Building:

In order to support local value chains, robust capacity building measures need to be implemented. Capacity building and skills development need to be focused on circular and green industries to develop local capacity in the necessary fields. Capacity building for the design and implementation of circular economy policy is needed. Training programmes should focus on design for circularity, waste management and also on agricultural processes. Also, the UN should help accelerate this process of exchange programs and vocational building programs where best practices in terms of the above-mentioned focus areas can be demonstrated;

  • Include support to awareness raising initiatives.
  •  Provide funds or support towards increasing cooperation between international financial institutions and Nigerian financial institutions for the purpose of sustainable development related engagements and activities.

Q17.

  • Capacity building and skills development need to be focused on circular and green industries to develop local capacity in the necessary fields. Technical training programmes should focus on design for circularity, energy and waste management and also on agricultural processes.
  • Existing vocational training frameworks need to be strengthened to up-skill people for jobs in the circular economy.
  • Private sector-led apprenticeships can ease access to industries that are emerging.
  • Technical and academic capacities, including the sharing of innovations and technologies is necessary for adoption of imported technologies and services;
  • Academic institutions need to be strengthened through collaborative research activities that showcase local innovations supported by international institutions.