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there is a need to enable communities to meet the
challenges of climate change and the interactions with
other people outside the mountains. To address such
transboundary issues concerning shared mountain
populations and ecosystems, efforts should be made
to understand the linkages and develop laws and
policies that foster productive interactions.
Transnational
policies
and
institutional
arrangements
At the transnational level, a significant number of
policies and institutional frameworks exist and are in
operation. In East Africa, these arrangements can be
used to pursue the agenda for sustainable mountain
development. These include, among others,
the IGAD, the EAC, the SADC and COMESA.
Under these political and economic subregional
arrangements, there are institutional frameworks
that address a wide range of issues that are relevant
to mountain areas. These institutions have a variety
of administrative levels particularly the commissions
and secretariats, and through these it is possible to
address pertinent mountain issues as well as develop
and implement programmes of activities to address
the challenges facing mountain ecosystems in a
changing climate.
At the political level, the EAC operates under a ‘Treaty
of Cooperation’. The EAC Secretariat is the technical
body that carries out Community operations. A
number of protocols and policies at the Heads of State
level have been put in place to facilitate the operation
of these institutions. These include the East African
Community Protocol on Environment and Natural
Resources Management, the East African Climate
Change Policy, and the East African Community
Transboundary EcosystemManagement Act of 2010.
The East African Climate Change Policy adopted
on April 2011 contains activities and provisions for
addressing climate change adaptation. Steps have
been taken to implement the policy, but significant
challenges and gaps remain. An East African
Community Climate Change Strategy was developed
to guide and enhance strategic implementation of
the policy. The EAC Secretariat in Arusha has also
put in place lower level institutional arrangements.
The Lake Victoria Basin Commission, for instance,
has a number of programmes and projects relevant to
natural resourcemanagement including formountain
ecosystems and communities. Similar initiatives
have been finalized or are under way and should be
encouraged in the subregion. A Memorandum of
Understanding was endorsed between Rwanda and
Burundi in 2012 for the joint management of natural
resources. Another Memorandum of Understanding
was signed under the auspices of the EAC for
improving the management of wildlife conservation
in the Mara-Serengeti region. However, there are
still other transboundary mountains in the region
(such as the Pare Hills between Kenya and Tanzania)
where collaboration is lacking. In general, there is
still lack of vision on how the EAC could manage and
coordinate efforts on mountains within the region.
The Intergovernmental Authority on Development
(IGAD), as amended in 1996, is an intergovernmental
institution for the East Africa region that addresses
development issues, some of which are relevant to
transboundary natural resources and ecosystems.
The IGAD, which has its Secretariat in Djibouti, has
clear policies and guidelines that govern its various
entities. Over the years, the organization, through
its Secretariat, has developed and implemented a
number of strategies and programmes which address
climate change and community livelihoods. While
there is no explicit focus onmountain ecosystems and
communities, there are strategies and programmes
that offer other avenues for addressing mountains
issues. For instance, the IGAD (2003) Strategy focuses
SADC
Southern African
Development Community
Tanzania
EAC
East African Community
Burundi
Kenya
Rwanda
Tanzania
Uganda
South Sudan
COMESA
Common Market for
Eastern and Southern Africa
Burundi
Kenya
Rwanda
Uganda
IGAD
Intergovernamental
Authority on Development
Kenya
Tanzania
Regional institutional
arrangements
Source: R. Blein et al, 2013,“African agriculture,
transformation and outlook”, New Patnership for African
Development (NEPAD).
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