Partnership 8 – Space: GMES and Africa
This document is submitted by the GMES and Africa Coordination Team, listed in the end of the text, to the Joint Expert Group of
th
the 8 Africa-EU Partnership for appreciation. Its objective is to inform JEG8 on the status of the dossier and of the following
steps in view of its finalization and its submission in the circuits of approval in view of its endorsement by the Heads of State EU-
Africa Summit in Libya, end-2010.
THE GMES AND AFRICA ACTION PLAN
th
The GMES and Africa initiative is an integral part of the EU-Africa 8 Partnership – on Science, Information Society and Space.
It aims at proceeding an exercise of deep dialogue and consultation for drafting and consolidating an Action Plan for “GMES
and Africa” partnership for approval at the third EU-Africa Summit, foreseen for end-2010.
This Action Plan will assess the African needs on Earth Observation capabilities and propose the development of applications
and capacities in response. The scope of GMES and Africa initiative goes beyond the European Global Monitoring for
Environment and Security (GMES) Programme, as it builds on the ongoing decoupled Earth observations initiatives and
projects in Africa, deepens the dialogue with the African users and between the African and European policy makers for the
identification and integration of their requirements for the provision of GMES services to the African Continent and establishes a
long term partnership among European and African stakeholders.
Deriving from the consensus reached in Lisbon, December 2007 (1,2), on the need to define a common programmatic view for
Earth observation activities in Africa, the Lisbon Declaration on GMES and Africa (1) commits African and European
stakeholders to work together along the lines defined in the Lisbon Process (1) for adopting the mentioned Action Plan.
The 8 thematic and 3 cross-cutting priority areas were identified in a stakeholders meeting held in Accra in October 2008:
Floods, fires, cyclones, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, earthquakes, locusts…
NATURAL DISASTERS
specific attention to risk reduction
FOOD SECURITY AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT Crop monitoring, rangeland monitoring, vulnerability assessment, locusts, water
LONG-TERM MANAGEMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES Forest resources, biodiversity, land resources, land cover change, protected area management
WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT Integrated basin management, ground water, water scarcity
IMPACTS OF CLIMATE VARIABILITY AND CHANGE Desertification, droughts, water scarcity, health
MARINE AND COASTAL AREAS Fisheries, integrated coastal zone management, transport…
CONFLICTS AND POLITICAL CRISES Disputed territory, Vulnerable settlements , Conflict resources, Land mines
INFRASTRUCTURES AND TERRITORIAL DEVELOPMENT Land planning, urban sprawl, road and water infrastructure, ecological footprint
CAPACITY BUILDING POLICY AND INSTITUTIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE
FRAMEWORK
The Lisbon Process foresees a wide consultation exercise with the African users to determine requirements in the areas
where Earth Observation can impact. Openness, transparency and inclusiveness are underpinning principles of the Process,
so a big effort is being made to allow every users, institutional players, research laboratories and governmental bodies to
contribute to the process. This has been done through collaborative working, meetings in Europe and between Africa and
European bodies, in particular the European and African Union Commissions, the African RECs, ESA, EUMETSAT, and
African and European Member States, under the umbrella of the 8th AU-EU Strategic Partnership.
To feed the consultation process, a baseline Action Plan (Draft 0) was prepared by pairs of African and European experts on
the different thematic areas. African experts have been appointed by the African Union Commission and European experts
suggested amongst EU stakeholders and the (European) GMES Advisory Committee, where all EU MSs have a seat.
Draft 0 is composed of an introductory section and by eleven chapters ( three cross-cutting and eight thematic) chapters,
drafted by the 11 pairs of AU-EU experts. Beyond setting a baseline for further discussion, its main objective is to launch a
wide debate involving the highest decision-making levels on the definition of a GMES&Africa strategy in the medium and the
long-term, identifying the necessary steps and modalities to launch the process in a sustainable and African owned way.
Partnership 8 – Space: GMES and Africa
(1) Lisbon event 2007 http://www.mundiconvenius.pt/2007/gmes/programme_final.htm
(2) Lisbon – Participants http://www.mundiconvenius.pt/2007/gmes/docs2/participants_list.PDF
(3) Lisbon Declaration and Process http://www.mundiconvenius.pt/2007/gmes/programme_final_conclusions.htm
THE CONSULTATION PROCESS OF GMES AND AFRICA ACTION PLAN
The baseline Action Plan will be subject to a wide consultation from December 2009 to March 2010, being accessible to all
relevant African and European stakeholders, including all participants to the GMES and Africa launching event in December
2007, through the Internet. Additionally, on the African side, a series of five regional workshops are planned to take place until
end-March to raise awareness and encourage thematic debates on the Action Plan. A Pan-African workshop will then be
convened to present final results.
1. Electronic Public Consultation
The website for the online public consultation is being developed by the JRC and will be accessible in December 2009, making
available the 11 chapters of the Action Plan, in the original languages they were written (mostly English) for comments. The introductory
chapter and summary will be included by the end of January, before the 1st African Regional Workshop to be held in Tunis, as well as
the translated versions into English, French, Portuguese and, if considered relevant, also Arabic. This consultation will be closed by
end-March 2010.
The web-site allows for easy screening and direct registration of the comments by filling online fields, associated with identification of
the person posting them in order to facilitate the mapping of relevant actors and activities for EO issues. Offline registration of
comments will also be possible by downloading the document and using “track-changes”.
To ensure the necessary visibility of this consultation, a link will be included in the AU-EU Partnership website, 8th Partnership area;
contacts will be made by the coordinating stakeholders to the invitees to the 2007 Lisbon event, as a matter of consequence, as well as
to the national experts nominated by the GMES Advisory Council in early 2009.
2. Workshops in Africa
Five regional workshops are being organized allover Africa – one per economic region – as well as an additional pan-African one for
closing the consultation phase in April 2010 (tentatively). The funds to support the organization of the 5 workshops are secured:
The Northern Africa workshop will be organized under the auspices of AUC and OSS and is expected to be supported by JRC
2009 funds. The workshop is envisaged for 25th to 27th January 2010 and it is, at present, the most advanced of all 5 in terms of
preparation;
For the Central Africa workshop (also expected to be supported by the JRC), no concrete arrangements have been developed to
date;
The Southern Africa and the Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) workshops are expected to be funded by the AMESD program
(budget estimations are currently taking place). The regional political partnership has been already identified, respectively SADC
and EAC. The identification of a technical partner might be useful. The identification of the participants still needs to be ensured;
The Western Africa workshop is expected to be funded by ECOWAS in the frame of its contribution agreement with the EC. Budget
was already estimated and communicated to ECOWAS and to the EC Delegation in Abuja (process on-going but identification of
partners and participants to be completed).
Integration of comments – finalization of the Action Plan
For the subsequent integration of the comments received, options are under analysis, including the joint work between the coordinating
stakeholders and involved African and European experts.
Tentative schedule The calendar of actions in the Lisbon GMES and Africa Process is tabled in Annex 1 to this note.
Actions to be taken by the JEG 8
The JEG 8 is invited to take note of the progress achieved in the Lisbon Process, and to contribute to stimulate the debate – in
particular within the African communities – on the definition of a GMES&Africa Strategy in the medium and long-term. It is also invited to
consider the presented calendar of actions into the 8 th Partnership overall roadmap and to provide information of the necessary formal
steps of involvement (or endorsement) before submission to the AU-EU HoS for formal endorsement.
The Coordination Team of the Lisbon Process for “GMES and Africa” is composed of the following entities:
African Union Commission (HRST, div. for S&T and ITC), AMCEN, AMCOST, AMCOW
European Commission (DG DEV, DG ENTR, DE JRC), ESA, EUMETSAT
France, Portugal
Partnership 8 – Space: GMES and Africa
Chair and Vice Chair of the Steering Committee of the AMESD project
UNECA