The fifth meeting of the Lake Tanganyika Authority (LTA) Management Committee took place at Lake Tanganyika Hotel, Kigoma, Tanzania from 26th to 28th February 2012.
The fifth meeting of the Lake Tanganyika Authority (LTA) Management Committee took place at Lake Tanganyika Hotel, Kigoma, Tanzania from 26th to 28th February 2012.
The meeting was attended by Management Committee members from the four Lake Tanganyika riparian countries of the Republic of Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the United Republic of Tanzania and the Republic of Zambia. Invited observers included representatives from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
The LTA Executive Director, Dr. Henry Mwima, welcomed all the delegates and observers to the meeting and then invited the Chairperson of the LTA Management Committee to take his chair and lead the meeting.
Mr. Adam Hussen, the LTA Management Committee Chairperson, called the meeting to order at 09:00 hours and welcomed all the delegates and observers to the meeting. He then invited the Guest Honour, Mr. Sazi SALULA, the Permanent Secretary in the Vice President’s Office, the United Republic of Tanzania, to officially open the meeting.
Opening Remarks by Guest of Honour
The Guest of Honour, Mr. Sazi SALULA, extended a special welcome to all delegates, especially to those coming from riparian countries of Burundi, DR Congo and Zambia. He expressed gratitude of the Government and the people of the United Republic of Tanzania for the honour of hosting the fifth ordinary meeting of the LTA Management Committee and the forthcoming fifth ordinary meeting of the Conference of the Ministers.
The Guest of Honour further stated that Lake Tanganyika plays a major role in the economies of the riparian countries. He noted that the Lake ecosystem is under threat from multiple sources including pollution caused by discharges of domestic and industrial wastes, over-fishing of sardines due to population increase, and unsustainable economic activities such as agriculture, livestock keeping and mining practices, each posing its own management challenges. He, therefore, requested the Lake Tanganyika riparian countries to work together to address these challenges for the sustainable management of natural resources within Lake Tanganyika and its basin.
After the speech by the Guest of Honour, the meeting took a short break and the participants were invited to a group photo with the Guest of Honour.
When the meeting reconvened, the Chairperson then invited the Country Heads of Delegation to give their opening statements.
Remarks by Heads of Country Delegations
The Head of Burundian delegation, Mrs. Emmanuelle NGENZEBUHORO, in her speech shown at Annex … thanked the LTA Secretariat and the United Republic of Tanzania as the host country for good logistics and well organized meeting. She further highlighted that the riparian states have an important role to play in addressing the challenges for effective protection of the biodiversity and sustainable management of the natural resources in the Lake Tanganyika and its basin. She also underscored the importance of this meeting as it provides an opportunity for riparian states to discuss and agree on measures to foster effective implementation of the Convention for the Sustainable Management of Lake Tanganyika. She finally wished the meeting fruitful deliberations.
The DR Congo Head of Delegation, Mr Gayo LEMBA, thanked the United Republic of Tanzania for hosting the fifth ordinary meeting of the Management Committee. He informed the meeting that DR Congo is committed to finding the solutions for the various problems which are still facing the Lake and its basin. He further encouraged the riparian states to continue their efforts to implement the Convention.
The Tanzanian Head of Delegation, Dr. Julius NINGU, welcomed the delegates to the United Republic of Tanzania and specifically to Kigoma. He informed the meeting that Tanzania considers Lake Tanganyika as one of the important fisheries reserves for the four riparian countries which need to be conserved for livelihood of the current and future generations. He noted the diversity in the speed of development in the Lake and its Basin but requested the riparian countries. He expressed the support received from the various Development Partners. Mr. Patrick NGALANDE, on behalf of the Zambian Delegation thanked the United Republic of Tanzania for the hospitality accorded to the participants since their arrival in Kigoma. He thanked the LTA Secretariat for the good preparations of the meeting. He also pledged continued commitment of the Republic of Zambia to the Convention on the Sustainable Management of Lake Tanganyika.
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