Nobel Peace Prize laureate and deputy Kenyan minister for environment, Wangari Maathai, has hailed the World Bank for its long-standing support of environmental issues and for sticking with her through tough years of environmental campaigning.
She praised the Banks commitment to environmental protection, saying, “Mr. Wolfensohn has been very supportive of us even when things were very difficult here”.
Professor Maathai made these remarks recently during a courtesy call on her by Kenya Country Director, Makhtar Diop, to present a congratulatory letter from President Wolfensohn.
In his letter, Wolfensohn congratulated the Nobel Prize winner on behalf of the entire staff of the Bank.
– I have followed Kenyan affairs closely for many years and have long admired your many achievements in helping to preserve the environment, as a champion for womens rights, as a leader in the fight against corruption and abusive government, and for the reduction of the debt of poverty-stricken nations, Wolfensohn said.
– This Nobel Prize is an immensely important step forward for African women, as well as for the cause of the environment. It will be a continuing source of pride to your fellow Kenyans and for Africans across the continent, added he.
Maathai said she was pleased that the Nobel Committee had recognized the vital link between what she called the “three pillars of development”; environmental sustainability, democratic governance, and human rights. – This is like the three stones of the traditional African cooking stove. You need all three to get balance, said she.
Maathai added that many conflicts in Africa have been fuelled by clashes over environmental resources. – You will not have peace if you do not manage your resources, the minister observed. – Our communities need to rediscover that forests are a source of our livelihood.”
She said she was leading an initiative bringing together communities and a cross section of interest groups to encourage participatory management of forests.
The project will include commercial activities in forests such as bee keeping and ecotourism, and examine ways of ensuring energy and food security of neighboring communities.
Diop told the minister that the Bank would launch in November an analytical study of the forest sector to provide technical assistance to the Kenyan governments forest reform initiative.
The objective of the Economic and Sector Work (ESW) would be to assist the government to address some of the difficult policy issues it is facing in its attempts to provide a sustainable approach to forest management.
He added that the sector studies will also find ways to assist the government respond to increasing pressure from local communities and various forest industries to gain access to forest resources.
The ESW will help Kenya to develop a sound framework for reforms in the sector, in anticipation of the passing in parliament of an impending forestry bill, Diop said.
Kilde: www.worldbank.org
