The Directorate of Environmental Affairs (DEA) is a small, dynamic institution built around a core of full-time professional Ministry staff. To meet the broad cross-cutting nature of environmental management and protection, the DEA team combines ecologists with planners, social scientists, economists and lawyers.

The DEA has been very successful at interacting with development partners and attracting donor funding. Much of the work carried out with this funding is outsourced to consultants, local non-governmental organizations (NGOs), community-based organizations (CBOs) and the private sector, with DEA core staff acting as programme managers. This allows the Ministry to set priorities and determine that the work is done efficiently and effectively: in other words, the Ministry takes responsibility for ensuring that the ship moves in the right direction at the right speed (the captain's role) – but the task of rowing is outsourced to others. This approach has proved to be highly efficient and productive. It also means that the DEA has a relatively large number of collaborators, researchers, consultants and students involved in many of its programmes and activities.

The DEA addresses priority environmental issues and challenges by developing focused programmes and projects, with clearly identified objectives and purposes. In this way, investment in the environment sector is product orientated, while not neglecting the importance of good process.

The Namibian Constitution is one of the most progressive in the world, including its approach to environment and sustainable development. Article 95 states inter alia, that:

"The State shall actively promote and maintain the welfare of the people by adopting … policies aimed at … the maintenance of ecosystems, essential ecological processes and biological diversity of Namibia and utilisation of living natural resources on a sustainable basis for the benefit of all Namibians, both present and future; in particular, the Government shall provide measures against the dumping or recycling of foreign nuclear and toxic waste on Namibian territory."

The mission statement of this Ministry is to:

"... maintain and rehabilitate essential ecological processes and life-support systems, to conserve biological diversity and to ensure that the utilisation of natural resources is sustainable for the benefit of all Namibians, both present and future, as well as for the international community."

As can be seen, the Ministry mission statement is based closely on our National Constitution. The mission statement of the DEA is a subset of that of the Ministry. It is to:

"Promote environmental protection, environmental planning and environmental coordination to support the sustainable and equitable use of natural resources and national development, and to protect the environment and human welfare from unsustainable, unhealthy and inappropriate practices."

The DEA has systematically built up a portfolio of priority environmental programmes to address the environmental challenges and opportunities within the country. These programme areas were identified by means of a consultative process, starting first with an evaluation of the environmental issues in the country and the indicative actions necessary. The results of this work led to the publication of Namibia's Green Plan. The Green Plan was presented by His Excellency, the President to the Rio Conference in 1992. The key issues in the Green Plan were developed into a short, strategic document entitled "Namibia's 12-Point Plan for Integrated and Sustainable Environmental Management", which identified the main programme areas that needed to be developed. These programme areas were written into the First National Development Plan (NDP1) which was approved by Cabinet. External funding was sought for each programme and, once obtained, management structures (e.g. steering committee) and staffing were put in place.

Main functions and objectives

• Promote sustainable development and equitable access to natural resources

• Protect biological diversity and promote its sustainable use

• Support land- and resource-use planning and appropriate management practices

• Protect the environment and human health from pollution and inappropriate and unsustainable practices

• Improve environmental awareness and decision-making through provision and distribution of good environmental information

• Encourage and support the democratization of environmental practices and management

• Promote Namibia and her interests in regional and global meetings, treaties and interactions

• Support and promote the training of young Namibians in the environment fields

To further these objectives the DEA is involved in:

• Planning of land and resource use, including regional environmental profiles

• Desertification control activities

• Community-based natural resource management activities

• Biodiversity protection and information activities

• Natural resource economics and accounting

• Environmental assessments (EIAs) and audits

• Pollution control and management of hazardous substances

• Development of national policies and legislation

• Networking with national and international organizations

• Training programmes

• Environmental Information Dissemination