On 10 October 2019 an important cooperation
agreement was signed between Stellenbosch University (through its Development
and Rule of Law Programme), the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) and the German
Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt). With this Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU), Stellenbosch University (SU) enters the realm of academic diplomacy and
policy development. On behalf of SU the MoU was signed by Professor Eugene
Cloete (Vice-Rector, Research, Innovation and Postgraduate Studies) and
Professor Oliver Ruppel (Director, Development and Rule of Law Programme).
On behalf of the PAP, the MoU was signed by
its President the Rt. Hon. Roger Nkodo Dang. The PAP is an organ of the African
Union established to ensure the full participation of African peoples in the
development and economic integration of the continent with its objectives
including to promote peace, security and stability, the principles of human
rights and democracy in Africa and encourage good governance. In support of
this mandate, SU’s Development and Rule of Law Programme (DROP) which was
founded in 2012 is now tasked to cooperate with the PAP in the context of the
implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with regard to policy
development projects. The focus here lies on reconciling the tensions between
environmental sustainability, economic development, and human welfare, with a
view on burning legal, political, economic and social developments in Africa. DROP
is affiliated to SU’s Water Institute and the Faculty of Law. Its activities
are trans-disciplinary in nature, with a strong legal and socio-political focus
on climate change, justice, sustainability and transformation.
The two partners, PAP and DROP are supported
by the German Environment Agency (UBA) which is Germany’s central federal
authority for environmental matters under the supervision of the German Federal
Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU). Dr Harald
Ginzky, a Director at UBA strongly encouraged the MoU between the three parties
teaming up in SDG diplomacy and policy development for the benefit of the
African continent and beyond.
The main objective of the new partnership is to
implement the sustainable development goals (SDGs) of the United Nations 2030
sustainability agenda effectively. As a first project the partners team up on
the issue of land degradation neutrality (SDG target 15.3) and sustainable soil
management on the continent. The Project is financially supported by the German
Ministry for Development Cooperation (BMZ), through the Deutsche Gesellschaft
für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). It aims at developing a Model
Legislation for Sustainable Soil Management in Africa. Professor Eugene Cloete at
the occasion expressed that DROP and SU at large together with UBA are breaking
ground in Africa in terms of SDG diplomacy, providing policy makers with
non-prescriptive but highly qualified policy advice.
For more information on DROP, please visit:
https://drop.sun.ac.za/