KAMPALA, Uganda-National Environment management Authority (NEMA) has held meeting with local leaders from Bunyoro region, the meeting focused at strengthen decentralized environment management.
Speaking during the meeting the NEMA Executive Director Dr.Tom Okurut noted that most Local governments are not allocating budgets to environmental activities in their District work plan yet environment plays a vital role in the social and economic transformation of the local people in their areas.
Dr. Okurut explained that environment is a cross cutting aspect as there are components of environment in trade and road sectors, in agriculture, in fisheries, in water and all other sectors of the local governments.
He challenged the Local Governments to have all these sectors provide budgets for aspects of the environment.
The State Minister for Environment, Hon. Dr. Gorretti Kitutu said that the South Western part of the country was more vulnerable to climate change than any other part of the country. She called upon the Local Governments in the Bunyoro region to prioritize sound environment management since it supports the livelihoods of majority of their population.
The consultative meeting was attended by Local Government technical and political leaders and other officials from the planning, water and natural resources departments of Hoima, Masindi, Kiryandongo, Buliisa, Kagadi, Kibale & Kakumiro Districts.
The participants were taken through presentations and demonstrations on community approach to ecosystems management, legal and institutional frameworks on environment management and the decentralized environment management function among others.
