The Executive Chairman of the Environment Protection Agency – Sierra Leone, Dr. Foday Moriba Jaward during a National Environment Conference with Lawyers on addressing compliance in Sierra Leone, spoke about addressing the challenges of monitoring and regulatory enforcement for environmental sustainability and sustainable development in Sierra Leone. The national Environment Conference for Lawyers was held at the Golden Tulip, Kimbima Hotel in Freetown on the 2nd April 2019.
Dr. Jaward told a group of Lawyers and Environment Stakeholders that the world today is faced with serious global environmental challenges which threaten human existence due to the fact that people exploit the earth resources to meet immediate social and economic needs without taking into account the long term impacts of that exploitation.
He said mining activities had not only destroyed the forest covers leading to huge biodiversity loss in Sierra Leone, it had also led to the pollution of rivers and water sources that had long provided important services to Communities in the country.
While calling on Sierra Leoneans to make a change in handling the environment, Dr. Jaward said that Sierra Leoneans should change the narrative by making profound changes in lifestyles, models of production and consumption, changes in the ways institutions especially those in the environment sector implement environmental rules of law.
The conference serves as an opportunity for all institutions to further discuss new ways of improving environmental compliance in Sierra Leone through addressing the challenges of monitoring and regulatory enforcement of environmental laws in Sierra Leone.
The objectives of the conference was to bring together key national stakeholders in the environment sector to discuss the numerous challenges facing monitoring and regulatory enforcement of environmental rule of law and to develop and adopt sector policy guidelines that would promote effective synergies between and among Ministries Departments and Agencies for sound environmental management that will promote inclusive socio-economic growth and economic development which will benefit both present and future generations in the country.
The Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Dr. Priscilla Schwartz also emphasized on the need for sound and sustainable exploitation of natural resources in line with best environmental practices during the National Environmental Conference with Lawyers. She said “this is the only option we have to support national growth and sustainable development.
