Monday, March 12, 2012

China, Africa, Sustainable Development and the Environment

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), which has an office in China and 16 in Africa, issued a briefing note on 9 March 2012 titled Africa and China: Cooperation for Sustainability. It suggests proposals for leaders from Africa and China to explore at the upcoming 5th Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Ministerial Conference. The goal of the paper is to help ensure that environmental considerations underlie the development opportunities involved in China-Africa cooperation. Proposals cover extraction and use of natural resources, investment and financial cooperation and clean energy.

WWF argues that investing in sustainable development is fundamental for both Africa and China's long-term prosperity. It sees FOCAC as the best platform for obtaining agreement on sustainable development.