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Message from South AfricaSouth Africa is deeply honored to be the host for the Third GEF Assembly and associated meetings, scheduled to take place from August 27 to September 1, 2006 in Cape Town – also known as the Mother City. The Assembly, which is the only governing body of the GEF in which representatives of all 176 member countries participate, will provide an excellent platform to take new strides in the foremost challenges of our time: the eradication of poverty and closing the gap between rich and poor, reforming and strengthening multilateral institutions, protection of the environment, and the promotion of sustainable development. Hosting the Assembly for the first time on the African continent will not only afford us Africans the opportunity to raise awareness of Africa’s environmental challenges, but also showcase our successes and best practices. The Third GEF Assembly comes at a point in time in which we will have a new replenishment cycle, new emerging global environmental challenges, and new policies. It is important that the Assembly not only reviews and evaluates the GEF’s general policies, the operation of the GEF, and its membership, but addresses the various challenges facing the GEF and developing countries at the highest political level. It is only through this process that we will be able to chart a course for the GEF based on equity, good governance and providing adequate resources based on country needs to meet global environmental commitments. South Africa will endeavor to ensure that we create an environment within which the global community will be able to have fruitful deliberations and produce a meaningful outcome. —Marthinus van Schalkwyk |
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