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Southern African Sub-regional
INFOTERRA Network (SASIN)
Briefing Note : No. 12
September 1999
INFOTERRA is the global environmental
information exchange network of the United Nations Environment
Programme. The network operates through a system of government-designated
national focal points which at present number 178. An INFOTERRA national
focal point is essentially a national environmental information centre
usually located in the ministry or agency responsible for environmental
protection. The primary function of each centre is to provide a national
environmental information service.
INFOTERRA received its mandate
at the 1972 Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment which recommended
the establishment of a mechanism for the exchange of environmental information
and experiences among countries. In response to this recommendation,
UNEP established the INFOTERRA network (initially known as IRS -
International Referral System) and governments were requested to designate
a national focal point to coordinate INFOTERRA activities at the country
level. The 1992 Rio Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) reiterated
the importance of information for decision-making and requested the strengthening
of the INFOTERRA network to improve information availability (Agenda 21,
Chapter 40).
At the national level, INFOTERRA
focal points provide a wide range of environmental information products
and services including environmental bibliographies; directories of sources
of information; query-response services; environmental awareness leaflets;
and access to Internet services.
The INFOTERRA secretariat
at UNEP headquarters, Nairobi, supports the national focal points by providing
technical services and publishing reference tools such as the EnVoc Multilingual
Thesaurus of Environmental Terms; training manuals; source books; and promotional
materials. A capacity building programme provides assistance to focal
points in developing countries.
REGIONAL Capacity building
In order to strengthen the
national information capacity of developing countries, INFOTERRA promotes
partnerships between national focal points of developed and developing
countries. With the support of countries which have experience in managing
environmental information, INFOTERRA seeks to establish regional information
networks that help provide solutions to common environmental problems
facing a group of nations. The INFOTERRA Secretariat views this national
capacity building initiative as an effective means of instituting the recommendations
of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED)
and the objectives of "Agenda 21".
SASIN
Following a regional meeting
in 1991 with Southern African INFOTERRA representatives and NFPs from Ireland
and the USA, the Southern African Subregional INFOTERRA Network (SASIN)
was created to establish links between national and international institutions
and experts in a cooperative venture in order to improve the quality of
environmental decision-making and planning.
Donor Support
With the goal of providing
decision-makers and planners in the SADC region with increased availability
of relevant information, the USA and Ireland have made contributions to
procure equipment, support training and address the regional problems in
the collection, storage, and dissemination of environmental information,
while the INFOTERRA Secretariat continues to provide technical assistance
and monitor the SASIN project. In December 1996 Ireland assisted the network
by negotiating the establishment of a regional training center in Lesotho.
The Masianokeng Environmental Centre now serves the region by offering
a venue for training, workshops and seminars.
Since Botswana has been designated
as the Regional Service Centre (RSC), it coordinates the exchange of information
among the participating countries. Therefore, contributions from the USA
and Ireland have been designed to first strengthen the Botswana RSC, and
then enhance the information capacity of the other NFPs in the network.
Assistance from developed
to developing countries is an important contribution to national capacity
building and opens opportunities to obtain environmental information for
the enhancement and implementation of development projects. Cooperation
among the participating Southern African countries has begun to generate
a successful and effective network.
SASIN Results Achieved
Originally, SASIN was a three
year pilot project which commenced in l992. The coordinated efforts between
the Southern African countries, the USA, Ireland, and the INFOTERRA Secretariat
have led to the establishment of a fully operational INFOTERRA Regional
Service Centre in Botswana and several national environmental information
networks. Due to generous support from Irish Aid, a new SASIN Training
Centre, has been established at the University of Lesotho, Roma a few miles
outside of Maseru. This training centre works in cooperation
with the Masianokeng Environmental Awareness Centre. Seven network
members have benefited from advanced environmental information centre training
at the Irish national focal point office ENFO in Dublin.
As a result of recommendations
made by the Southern African Sub-Regional INFOTERRA Network (SASIN-4) workshop,
all eleven SASIN NFPs have been encouraged to establish national environmental
networks as forums for promotion and environmental information exchange.
The Lesotho environmental information network (LEINET) was formed in 1995
and was inaugurated November 1996 in Maseru. In August
1997 the Botswana National Environmental Information Network, known as
BEINET was launched. Other countries are developing similar networks
and are expected to be established in 1999.
A common bibliographic database
framework was officially launched on the Internet December 1998 to promote
the management of information in all participating countries and facilitate
the exchange of information. The database can be accessed at: <www.enfo.ie/sasin>.
Seven SASIN meetings have been convened resulting in recommendations and
reaffirmation of goals and objectives. Since the SASIN-5 meeting when the
first NGO Forum was held, network partners have worked to broaden the information
dissemination base and involve civil society as much as possible. SASIN
activities in the region have been made available to other nations through
a quarterly newsletter and the production of national promotional materials.
SASIN NFPs (Member Countries)
ANGOLA
Mr.
Kue-di-Kuenda Soki
INFOTERRA National
Focal Point
Conseillor Scientifique
au Ministere de l'Environnement
C.P. 1016, Luanda,
ANGOLA
Tel: (244-2)
337838 Fax: (244-2) 332611
BOTSWANA
Ms.
Tuelo Nkwane
INFOTERRA National
Focal Point
Department of
Town and Regional Planning
Ministry of Local
Government, Lands and Housing
Private Bag 0042,
Gaborone, BOTSWANA
Tel: (267)
354277/354285 Fax: (267) 313280/356015
E-mail: infoterra@info.bw
LESOTHO
Ms.
Emma Nthunya
INFOTERRA National
Focal Point
Information and
Documentation Centre
Institute of Education
National University
of Lesotho
P.O. Roma 180,
LESOTHO
Tel: (266)
340601, Direct: (266) 340369
Fax: (266)
340000
E-mail: em.nthunya@nul.ls
MALAWI
Mrs.
Ester J. Mede
INFOTERRA National
Focal Point
Principal Secretary
Ministry of Research
& Environmental Affairs
P.O. Box 30745
Lilongwe 3, MALAWI
Tel: (265)
781111 Fax: (265) 781487
E-mail: jchuma@unima.wn.apc.org
MOZAMBIQUE
Ms.
Jaime Muchanga
INFOTERRA National
Focal Point
Ministry for Coordination
of Environmental Affairs (MICOA)
Documentation
and Information Centre
Av. Acordos de
Lusaka, 2115
P.O. Box 2020,
Maputo, MOZAMBIQUE
Tel: (258
1) 465848/465843/465851 Fax: (258 1) 465849
E-mail: james@ambinet.uem.mz
or cnamoz@ambinet.uem.mz
NAMIBIA
Dr.
Peter Tarr
INFOTERRA National
Focal Point
Deputy-Director
Ministry of Environment
and Tourism
Capital Building,
6th Floor, Levinson Arcade
Directorate of
Environmental Affairs
Private Bag 13346,
Windhoek, NAMIBIA
Tel: (264
61) 249015 Fax: (264 61) 240339
E-mail: pwt@dea.met.gov.na
SOUTH AFRICA
Dr.
J.R. Pretorius
INFOTERRA National
Focal Point
Chief, Dictorate
Environmental Management
Department of
Environmental Affairs and Tourism
Private Bag X447,
Pretoria, 0001, South Africa
Tel: (27
12) 3103713 Fax: (27 12) 3226287
Email OMD_JRP@OZONE.PWV.GOV.ZA
SWAZILAND
Miss
Zola Hlatshwayo
INFOTERRA National
Focal Point
Environmental
Information Officer (EIO)
Swaziland Environment
Authority (SEA)
Ministry of Natural
Resources, Environment and Energy
P.O. Box 57, Mbabane,
SWAZILAND
Tel: (268)
4642011 ext: 111 Fax: (268) 46438, 44330
E-mail: unepswa@wn.apc.org
TANZANIA, UNITED
REPUBLIC OF
Ms.
Blandina M. Cheche
INFOTERRA National
Focal Point
Director-General
National Environment
Management Council
Environmental
Information Centre
Tancot House,
3rd Floor
P.O. Box 63154,
Dar es Salaam, UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANZANIA
Tel: (255
51) 135144 Fax: (255 51) 135140
E-mail: nemc-polcon@twiga.com
ZAMBIA
Mr.
Wycliff Mushipi
INFOTERRA National
Focal Point
Head, Information
Services Unit
National Council
for Scientific Research
P.O. Box 310158
Lusaka, ZAMBIA
Tel: (260
1) 281081 Fax: (260 1) 283533
E-mail: unepzam@zamnet.zm
ZIMBABWE
Ms.
Jocylyn Kututwa
INFOTERRA National
Focal Point
Department of
Natural Resources
Makombe Complex,
Block 1
Harare Street/Herbert
Chitepo Avenue
P.O. Box CY 385,
Causeway
Harare, ZIMBABWE
Tel: (263
4) 705661/705671 Fax: (263 4) 793123
E-mail: dnrnatr@cst.co.zw
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