Mthembi-Mahanyele: African Green Cities, Sustainable Cities congress

18 Nov 2002

Speech by Minister of Housing Mthembi-Mahanyele, at the opening of the African Green Cities, Sustainable Cities Congress, Eskom Training Centre, Johannesburg

Introduction

The Programme Director
President Elect of IERM, Ms Pumla Radebe
Mr Nicholas You of UN-Habitat
International Guests
Councillors present, including Councillor Parks Tau
NGOs
Students
Members of the Media
Ladies and Gentlemen

Thank you for inviting me to share with you issues relating to green cities, and sustainable cities in developing countries, particularly in Africa.

We are gathered here in recognition of the imperative need to improve the quality of human settlements, which profoundly affect the daily lives and well being of our people. It is through opportunities of this nature and constant exchange of ideas that we will retain hope that a new world can be built, in which economic development, social development and environmental protection as interdependent and mutually reinforcing components of sustainable development can be realised through solidarity and cooperation, within and between institutions, for the effective partnerships at all levels.

Human beings are at the centre of concerns for sustainable development, including adequate shelter for all through sustainable human settlements, where households are entitled to a healthy and productive life.

The worlds development and environmental communities came together for the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992, where the three pillars of sustainability were first acknowledged, with an emphasis on achieving a balance between them. This summit produced a comprehensive vision for the future under the banner of Sustainable Development. More than 160 countries endorsed agenda 21, a global action plan designed to implement this vision. It emphasised the importance of the role of local authorities and communities in working towards a more sustainable future, especially through the development of Local Agenda 21. Indeed, the phrase think globally act locally advocates local action as the main path towards sustainability.

This congress marks the significance of sustainable, urban greening and how it enhances the social, environmental and financial (the three pillars of sustainability) prosperity of cities and towns. As stakeholders from various sectors, we now look beyond the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD). We acknowledge the fact that poverty and environmental degradation are linked in a vicious circle in which the poor require natural resources to sustain their livelihoods. Poverty has been and still remains a major cause and consequence of environmental degradation and resource depletion. The human condition in Africa remains as daunting as ever. Poverty reduction and improving human development are major challenges for the continent, where the poor are the most vulnerable.

Ten years after Rio, the WSSD marked yet another global gathering, constituted by a united pledge made by the worlds political leaders. These leaders once again committed themselves to achieving the goal of shared prosperity in order to eradicate poverty and underdevelopment.

One of the positive outcomes of the WSSD was the Johannesburg Declaration, which affirmed the world leaders commitment towards sustainable development. It is acknowledged that, The global environment continues to suffer. Loss of biodiversity continues, fish stocks continues to be depleted, desertification claims more and more fertile land, the adverse effects of climate change are already evident, natural disasters are more frequent and more devastating and developing countries more vulnerable, and air, water and marine pollution continue to rob millions of a decent life.

Ladies and gentlemen, we are very pleased that human settlements were acknowledged as a theme for the WSSD as human settlements provide a stage for so many of the actions that affect people, the planet and prosperity. We recognise that between 2000 and 2025, the worlds urban population is expected to double from 2.4 billion (in 1995) to 5 billion and that city-dwellers will rise from 47 per cent to over 61 per cent of the worlds population. Most of this explosive growth will occur in the cities of the developing world. It is here, in the exploding cities of some of the poorest countries of the world that the central challenge lies and currently Africa is characterised by the most rapid rate of urbanisation.

The New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) and the formation of the African Union (AU) also present an opportunity to promote the Habitat Agenda for sustainable urbanisation as a prerequisite for successful social and economic development in the region. There is a definite need for the incorporation of human settlement issues into the NEPAD agenda, and the national Department of Housing together with UN-Habitat is working towards this.

Sustainable Cities in the African context

No city can sustain itself by drawing only on the resources within its boundaries. It is in the approach of sustainable development that focus should be placed on city environment, particularly cities whose inhabitants needs are met without imposing unsustainable demands on local or global natural resources and systems.

Environmental issues are inherently linked to quality of life. Environmentally sound human settlements where air quality is good, housing is energy and water efficient, and planting provides green lungs and food security, may be seen as healthy, sustainable settlements that provide quality living environments.

Cities play a significant role in the economic and spatial configuration of countries and urban areas are essential locations for economic activity. Furthermore, cities promote social and cultural progress, improving the general state of inhabitants through greater access to social services. Urban settlements, when properly planned and managed, hold the promise for human development and the protection of the natural resources through their ability to support large numbers of people while limiting their impact on the natural environment.

African cities have this potential too, but we need to recognise that they are losing more than they gain. This is due to the fact that most of these cities are far from achieving their potentials and do not constitute major engines of growth. The connection of these cities to the global and regional economy is rather limited and tenuous.

The failure to contribute to the World Economies sees African cities as being unable to fulfil the promise of raising the living standards of their inhabitants. In turn, cities are becoming homes of the poor and deprived, islands of desperation and degradation for large contingents of people as well as the sites and sources for environmental pollution and degradation as well as social anomie and insecurity.

Human Settlement Development in South Africa

Ladies and Gentlemen, South African cities are characterised by a duality that causes many economic, social and environmental problems (including poverty, abuse of natural resources, pollution and poor housing). These problems are exacerbated by the process of urbanisation that has contributed to globalisation, and in turn has resulted in uneven flows of capital and opportunities to and from the country.

South Africa is a reflection of global urban crisis in some respects. The majority of ordinary South Africans see a sustainable city as a city that is linked to the eradication of poverty and meeting the basic needs of the people, while limiting its impact on the environment and providing sustenance to the generations to come. They would like to see government delivering housing, and providing more services and facilities as well as creating employment.

Subsequent to 1994, development in South Africa was guided largely by the Reconstruction and Development Program (RDP). The RDP sought to redress the unsustainable legacy of Apartheid by reducing inequality through meeting the basic needs of all people. It emphasised the concept of people-driven development and encapsulated the values the WSSD seeks to ensure which are taken up by all UN member states.

The Constitution also reiterates the need for the creation of safe and healthy settlements, stating that, Everyone has the right to an environment that is not harmful to their health or well-being. It emphasises that there should always be a relationship between environmental protection and development, both of which are essential to life.

However, the effects of urban sprawl on the natural environment, and particularly that of unplanned informal settlements on marginal land, has negatively affected sensitive eco-systems, and has further contributed to unsustainable development.

Environmental Sustainability and the Housing Program

South Africa conforms to international commitments on sustainable development and the Department of Housing is responsible for promoting the implementation of the Habitat Agenda. In this context, environmental efficiency in the housing sector is identified as a key priority. Environmentally sound housing in this regard implies housing that, besides technical and affordability requirements, also meets the need for environmental efficiency.

It is the goal of the Department of Housing to deliver adequate housing for the previously disadvantaged communities of our country, while at the same time limiting their impact on the natural environment. In order to improve environmental efficiency in the housing sector, the Department of Housing has placed particular emphasis on energy efficiency in low income housing structures; water efficiency in low income housing structures; and urban greening of the living environment, encouraging, where appropriate, the establishment of productive and recreational green belts around urban agglomerations in order to protect their environment.

However, these represent a small proportion (approximately 10%) of all new housing delivered. The First Edition Environmental Implementation Plan (2000) of the Department of Housing spells out our commitment to the promotion of environmentally sound housing. Through a combination of regulation (by way of Minimum Norms and Standards in Respect of Permanent Residential Structures) and through making finance available, it is expected that there will be a significant scale-up in the development of environmentally sound housing.

Ladies and gentlemen, I am sure that most of you are aware that environmental sustainability has long been a concern of the Department of Housing. The First Edition Environmental Implementation Plan (2000) of the Department of Housing spells out our commitment to the promotion of environmentally sound housing.

Furthermore, the Department chairs the Environmentally Sound Housing Forum, which is responsible for promoting and sharing information on environmentally sound housing. The forum has a strategic focus on energy and water efficiency and urban greening in the residential sector, and is specifically mandated to monitor the implementation of the Environmental Implementation Plan.

The Department of Housing has initiated various projects that are aimed at creating an enabling environment for the mainstreaming of environmental efficiency in the housing sector. The year 2001/2 also saw the development and initiation of a number of projects that promote the development of environmentally sound housing. These programs include:

An energy efficient housing program - the Department of Housing has developed a proposal for Global Environmental Facility grant funding to support energy efficiency in the housing sector in South Africa - this proposal is being developed with technical assistance from the World Bank.
A Green Financing Pilot Program - funded by Danida, this initiative aims to facilitate access to housing finance for low, medium and upper income households to undertake green improvements in their homes.
The initiation of a residential eco-rating system for South Africa. Systems will further market transformation in the housing sector to adopt environmentally sound practices at scale.

Future projects include a review of the National Building Regulations, the provision of technical inputs to strengthen the procurement compliant housing delivery system and the continued implementation of the programs listed previously.

The South African Housing Policy is therefore strong in its commitment to achieve a holistic concept of environmental management as indicated in the National Environmental Management Act of 1997.

Conclusion

Lastly, ladies and gentlemen, we recognise that Africa is being propelled into the urban age, faced with challenges that are very different from those faced by other continents. The challenges are huge, but at the same time present a wider range of opportunities. The link between green and brown issues is of great concern in an urban context. Given that the majority of the worlds population will, very soon be living in cities, it is important that South Africans understand the link between city and environment, in order to achieve environmental sustainability and ultimately greater prosperity and wealth.

To improve the health and well being of all people throughout their lifespan, particularly people living in poverty, governments at the appropriate levels, including local authorities, in partnership with other stakeholders from various sectors, can play an important role. Similar to what world leaders agreed to in the Johannesburg Declaration, it is imperative for those of us present at this congress to also recognise that poverty eradication, changing consumption and production patterns, and protecting and managing the natural resource base for economic and social development are overreaching objectives of, and essential requirements for sustainable development.

It is my sincere hope, ladies and gentlemen, that this gathering will pose a solid basis for the South African, the African and global sustainable green cities.

I wish you well in your deliberations

Thank you.