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Outcome Document – The Gaborone Declaration

Dec 7th, 2009
IFAPA Third Summit
Envisioning a Peaceful Africa: Water For All
17-21 November 2009, Gaborone, Botswana
Outcome Document
The Gaborone Declaration
We, participants in the Third Summit of Inter-Faith Action for Peace in Africa (IFAPA) coming from African Traditional Religion, Baha’i, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu and Muslim communities, together with representatives of governments of the region and the private sector, gathered in Gaborone, Botswana, from 17 to 21 November 2009 under the theme “Envisioning a Peaceful Africa: Water For All”. In our diversity we represent the multi-faith reality of Africa today. In meeting together we have demonstrated our commitment to the principle of freedom of religion and belief for all.
We express our sincere gratitude to members of the Botswana Chapter of IFAPA – which was launched during the Summit – and to the religious communities, government and people of Botswana for their generous hospitality and commitment to inter-faith cooperation for peace and development in Africa. We also express our gratitude to all partners who by their contributions – financial or in kind – made our meeting possible.
Meeting in Botswana, we were inspired and motivated by the example this country provides of peace and stability, well-functioning democratic processes and institutions, good governance and transparency, and effective management of budgets in order to achieve the intended purposes. We pay tribute to the people and government of Botswana for these signal achievements, showing the way for many other countries in Africa.
The special characteristic of this Third IFAPA Summit was the full integration of private sector and government representatives alongside religious community representatives in the Summit’s deliberations and outcome. We believe that only a full partnership between these sectors – government, private enterprise and religious and civil society – can effectively respond to the challenges confronting Africa. We believe that in this Summit we have taken an important step towards establishing such a partnership.
Envisioning a Peaceful Africa
In our deliberations we have been guided by the commitments previously made under the auspices of IFAPA, especially the Johannesburg Declaration and Plan of Action (adopted by the First Inter-Faith Peace Summit in Africa, held in Johannesburg, 14-19 October 2002) and the Kopanong Manifesto (adopted by the Second Inter-Faith Peace Summit, Johannesburg, 21-25 April 2005). We have recalled what has been achieved in fulfillment of those commitments, and recognized what has still not been achieved.
Conflict and instability continue to beset this continent. In the current context we think especially of the situations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea, Madagascar, Somalia, Sudan, northern Uganda, and Zimbabwe, and of the people affected by conflict and its lingering consequences.
We also think of the pervasive violence and other threats that disrupt family life throughout the region, in the forms of domestic violence, the neglect and abuse of children, physical and economic oppression of women, poverty, alcohol and drug abuse, HIV-AIDS and other threats to health and wellbeing. Peace and security in the family is the foundation of peace and security in the community, in the nation and in the region.
Addressing each of these situations and issues requires cooperation between religious/civil society, governments and the private sector. Such cooperation assumes an agreed shared set of values, as a basis for collaboration between these three sectors on the challenges of peace and development in Africa. We believe that IFAPA has provided us with a framework in which these shared values can begin to be articulated…
Water For All
Water is the source of all life on Earth, and all human and community life is dependent on it. During this Summit we have shared perspectives on water and its significance in our respective faith traditions, and have concluded that though our religions relate to water in diverse ways, water is central to most of our traditions, and we all give a special value to water as a God-given resource essential for life. Though water is a gift from God for all, it is a finite and precious resource. Accordingly we reject selfish over-consumption, wastage or contamination of water, depriving others of this essential resource for life, as being against our principles of faith and ethics.
The provision of water has a cost. But given the necessity of water for sustaining human life and communities, we consider access to at least the basic requirements of water for drinking and sanitation purposes to be an inalienable human right, to be assured unconditionally by every government to all people in its jurisdiction, and not only to those who can afford the cost of its provision.
This right also entails a responsibility on the part of every human being to use this precious resource carefully, with due regard to the needs of others, not to waste or contaminate water, and to protect its natural sources.
We met in Botswana, a semi-arid country known for its diamond wealth. But we heard from the Hon. P. H. Kedikilwe, Minister for Minerals, Energy and Water Resources, that “Water is more important than diamonds”. We were also struck by the fact that ‘pula’ – the name of Botswana’s national currency – means ‘rain’, indicating the fundamental value that Botswana ascribes to this precious resource. But ‘pula’ also means ‘peace’, providing an elegant linguistic link between water, wellbeing and peace.
The lack of water is the very essence of poverty. None of the Millennium Development Goals can be achieved without water. Especially in Africa, the lack of rain or other sources of water means the loss of crops, threatening the subsistence agriculture on which the vast majority of Africa’s people depend. The lack of safe water for drinking and adequate water for sanitation is a direct threat to the right to life. We learned during this Summit that the lack of safe water for drinking and adequate water for sanitation top the list of global killers, claiming 5,000 lives a day, and that each year 1.8 million children die from waterborne diseases. In addition, 440 million school days are lost due to water-related illness, threatening education goals and entrenching poverty.
We also heard that women and children in Africa walk approximately 10 kilometres to fetch water, exposing them to additional risks of injury, violence and disease, and seriously reducing their access to educational and employment opportunities.
In many societies in Africa, water is at the core of women’s traditional responsibilities. And the lack of water has disproportionately grave consequences for women and girls.
We learned that the process of climate change, accelerated by greenhouse gas emissions, is already deepening the water crisis in Africa. In the next decades any millions more people are likely to be exposed to water stress, rain-fed and subsistence agriculture is likely to be reduced, and arid and semi-arid areas will increase significantly.
These changes are already leading to population shifts, as people and communities move to escape the worst hit areas. The increasing flows of such ‘climate change refugees’, together with increased competition for and tensions over access to diminishing water resources, are likely to pose serious additional challenges to peace and security in the region.
In order to reduce the risk of such additional pressures leading to new conflicts, regional cooperation within Africa will be increasingly necessary. Improved regional and sub-regional cooperation will also be necessary to reduce the amount of water wasted through lack of cross-border management of key water resources. Mismanagement of such water resources, has already contributed to the disappearance of rivers and lakes in the context of our warming and drying climate. To ensure water – and peace – for all, governments should cooperate regionally and internationally for effective water resource management and sharing. During the Summit, we considered existing models such as the Zambezi River Authority and the Nile River Initiative, which may provide us with experience for future cooperation in the management and sharing of our precious and irreplaceable water resources.
We believe that agreement on a strategic approach to the usage and management of water resources in Africa, integrating religious, government, and business perspectives, is essential if challenges of the dimensions we are confronting are to be adequately addressed. We ask IFAPA to continue to take a lead in convening forums for discussion and action by these stakeholders on the issue of water and its implications for peace and development in Africa. We recommend that IFAPA declare and promote an annual African Inter-Faith Water Day, as a means of drawing attention to this issue in our respective communities, and providing a point of encounter for all relevant actors for reflection and recommitment to cooperation in responding to the water crisis in our countries and continent.
We make the following specific recommendations to the various categories of actors, while at the same time stressing again the need for collaboration and synergy in all our responses:
Local communities and leaders  (including local religious leaders and traditional chiefs) / civil society should:
IFAPA Third Summit
Envisioning a Peaceful Africa: Water For All
17-21 November 2009, Gaborone, Botswana

We, participants in the Third Summit of Inter-Faith Action for Peace in Africa (IFAPA) coming from African Traditional Religion, Baha’i, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu and Muslim communities, together with representatives of governments of the region and the private sector, gathered in Gaborone, Botswana, from 17 to 21 November 2009 under the theme “Envisioning a Peaceful Africa: Water For All”. In our diversity we represent the multi-faith reality of Africa today. In meeting together we have demonstrated our commitment to the principle of freedom of religion and belief for all.

We express our sincere gratitude to members of the Botswana Chapter of IFAPA – which was launched during the Summit – and to the religious communities, government and people of Botswana for their generous hospitality and commitment to inter-faith cooperation for peace and development in Africa. We also express our gratitude to all partners who by their contributions – financial or in kind – made our meeting possible.

Meeting in Botswana, we were inspired and motivated by the example this country provides of peace and stability, well-functioning democratic processes and institutions, good governance and transparency, and effective management of budgets in order to achieve the intended purposes. We pay tribute to the people and government of Botswana for these signal achievements, showing the way for many other countries in Africa.

The special characteristic of this Third IFAPA Summit was the full integration of private sector and government representatives alongside religious community representatives in the Summit’s deliberations and outcome. We believe that only a full partnership between these sectors – government, private enterprise and religious and civil society – can effectively respond to the challenges confronting Africa. We believe that in this Summit we have taken an important step towards establishing such a partnership.


Envisioning a Peaceful Africa

In our deliberations we have been guided by the commitments previously made under the auspices of IFAPA, especially the Johannesburg Declaration and Plan of Action (adopted by the First Inter-Faith Peace Summit in Africa, held in Johannesburg, 14-19 October 2002) and the Kopanong Manifesto (adopted by the Second Inter-Faith Peace Summit, Johannesburg, 21-25 April 2005). We have recalled what has been achieved in fulfillment of those commitments, and recognized what has still not been achieved.

Conflict and instability continue to beset this continent. In the current context we think especially of the situations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea, Madagascar, Somalia, Sudan, northern Uganda, and Zimbabwe, and of the people affected by conflict and its lingering consequences.

We also think of the pervasive violence and other threats that disrupt family life throughout the region, in the forms of domestic violence, the neglect and abuse of children, physical and economic oppression of women, poverty, alcohol and drug abuse, HIV-AIDS and other threats to health and wellbeing. Peace and security in the family is the foundation of peace and security in the community, in the nation and in the region.

Addressing each of these situations and issues requires cooperation between religious/civil society, governments and the private sector. Such cooperation assumes an agreed shared set of values, as a basis for collaboration between these three sectors on the challenges of peace and development in Africa. We believe that IFAPA has provided us with a framework in which these shared values can begin to be articulated…

Water For All

Water is the source of all life on Earth, and all human and community life is dependent on it. During this Summit we have shared perspectives on water and its significance in our respective faith traditions, and have concluded that though our religions relate to water in diverse ways, water is central to most of our traditions, and we all give a special value to water as a God-given resource essential for life. Though water is a gift from God for all, it is a finite and precious resource. Accordingly we reject selfish over-consumption, wastage or contamination of water, depriving others of this essential resource for life, as being against our principles of faith and ethics.

The provision of water has a cost. But given the necessity of water for sustaining human life and communities, we consider access to at least the basic requirements of water for drinking and sanitation purposes to be an inalienable human right, to be assured unconditionally by every government to all people in its jurisdiction, and not only to those who can afford the cost of its provision.

This right also entails a responsibility on the part of every human being to use this precious resource carefully, with due regard to the needs of others, not to waste or contaminate water, and to protect its natural sources.

We met in Botswana, a semi-arid country known for its diamond wealth. But we heard from the Hon. P. H. Kedikilwe, Minister for Minerals, Energy and Water Resources, that “Water is more important than diamonds”. We were also struck by the fact that ‘pula’ – the name of Botswana’s national currency – means ‘rain’, indicating the fundamental value that Botswana ascribes to this precious resource. But ‘pula’ also means ‘peace’, providing an elegant linguistic link between water, wellbeing and peace.

The lack of water is the very essence of poverty. None of the Millennium Development Goals can be achieved without water. Especially in Africa, the lack of rain or other sources of water means the loss of crops, threatening the subsistence agriculture on which the vast majority of Africa’s people depend. The lack of safe water for drinking and adequate water for sanitation is a direct threat to the right to life. We learned during this Summit that the lack of safe water for drinking and adequate water for sanitation top the list of global killers, claiming 5,000 lives a day, and that each year 1.8 million children die from waterborne diseases. In addition, 440 million school days are lost due to water-related illness, threatening education goals and entrenching poverty.

We also heard that women and children in Africa walk approximately 10 kilometres to fetch water, exposing them to additional risks of injury, violence and disease, and seriously reducing their access to educational and employment opportunities.

In many societies in Africa, water is at the core of women’s traditional responsibilities. And the lack of water has disproportionately grave consequences for women and girls.

We learned that the process of climate change, accelerated by greenhouse gas emissions, is already deepening the water crisis in Africa. In the next decades any millions more people are likely to be exposed to water stress, rain-fed and subsistence agriculture is likely to be reduced, and arid and semi-arid areas will increase significantly.

These changes are already leading to population shifts, as people and communities move to escape the worst hit areas. The increasing flows of such ‘climate change refugees’, together with increased competition for and tensions over access to diminishing water resources, are likely to pose serious additional challenges to peace and security in the region.

In order to reduce the risk of such additional pressures leading to new conflicts, regional cooperation within Africa will be increasingly necessary. Improved regional and sub-regional cooperation will also be necessary to reduce the amount of water wasted through lack of cross-border management of key water resources. Mismanagement of such water resources, has already contributed to the disappearance of rivers and lakes in the context of our warming and drying climate. To ensure water – and peace – for all, governments should cooperate regionally and internationally for effective water resource management and sharing. During the Summit, we considered existing models such as the Zambezi River Authority and the Nile River Initiative, which may provide us with experience for future cooperation in the management and sharing of our precious and irreplaceable water resources.

We believe that agreement on a strategic approach to the usage and management of water resources in Africa, integrating religious, government, and business perspectives, is essential if challenges of the dimensions we are confronting are to be adequately addressed. We ask IFAPA to continue to take a lead in convening forums for discussion and action by these stakeholders on the issue of water and its implications for peace and development in Africa. We recommend that IFAPA declare and promote an annual African Inter-Faith Water Day, as a means of drawing attention to this issue in our respective communities, and providing a point of encounter for all relevant actors for reflection and recommitment to cooperation in responding to the water crisis in our countries and continent.

We make the following specific recommendations to the various categories of actors, while at the same time stressing again the need for collaboration and synergy in all our responses:

Local communities and leaders  (including local religious leaders and traditional chiefs) / civil society should:

  • Take responsibility for monitoring and documenting changes in the local environment and water sources, including the impact of government initiatives with regard to water resource and environmental protection.
  • Protect existing forest areas, and undertake reforestation of areas from which the trees have been cut.
  • Promote rainwater harvesting.
  • Promote improved agricultural practices.
  • Re-examine their own practices against the principles of environmental protection and sustainability
  • Equip themselves with the necessary training and skills for water source maintenance and environmental protection.
  • Undertake local fundraising initiatives for water resource management and maintenance.

Religious leaders  should:

  • Raise the voices of the voiceless, continuously remind governments and local authorities about their duties and responsibilities to their citizens, to human dignity and rights, to environmental protection and sustainable development.
  • Examine ways in which their moral leadership can strengthen advocacy for appropriate government policies and initiatives, including the establishment of budgets that recognize the importance of water and the environment.
  • Educate people about the sacred value of water as a gift from God, and raise public awareness at local, national and regional levels about the issues, challenges and possible responses.

Governments and local authorities  should:

  • Make clear commitments with regard to water resource and environmental protection.
  • Establish Ministries of water and the environment – where they do not already exist – and provide such ministries with resources adequate to the task.
  • Ensure that they have good and comprehensive water policy and legislative frameworks, covering conservation, sustainability, infrastructure development, privatization and industrial water use, and following the principles of Integrated Water Resource Management.
  • Undertake mapping of water resources, and assessment of current water distribution patterns.
  • Develop sound planning and water resource management strategies, including where relevant through regional and sub-regional cooperative frameworks and the harmonization of regulatory frameworks between jurisdictions.
  • Invest in water conservation and provision, and provide for appropriate monitoring and evaluation of initiatives in this area
  • Focus on water services for rural as well as urban communities.
  • Ensure that school curricula include education on water, conservation and environment.

National inter-religious bodies  should:

  • Help deepen shared spiritual understandings of the value of water, calling for prayer, and promoting changed behaviour on the basis of fundamental moral, ethical and religious principles.
  • Provide platforms for conflict resolution concerning access to water resources.
  • Through cooperation between religious communities on this issue, promote unity and set an example for African governments.

IFAPA  should:

  • Continue to facilitate engagement and collaboration between African religious communities and African governments, regional organizations, the international community and the private sector on matters of water, peace and development in Africa.

Private sector entities  (national and international) should:

  • Take all possible measures to reduce and eliminate water source pollution from industrial production or extractive processes.
  • Engage with local communities in order to plan investments and activities in such a way as to preserve water and other natural environmental resources, and to monitor the impact of such investments and activities.
  • Focus their community development/corporate social responsibility programs on water conservation and access and sanitation initiatives.

The African Union should:

  • Consider establishing a pan-African water resource protection and management authority.

The international community should:

  • Urgently establish a fair and equitable, legally-binding and effective agreement to succeed the Kyoto Protocol, in order to achieve the necessary emissions reductions – primarily in the major industrialized nations – in order to prevent catastrophic climate change.
  • Provide necessary financing for water resource protection and infrastructure and other development needs, and relevant technology transfers, in order to respond to the deepening water crisis in Africa.

Mothers’ Cry for a Healthy Africa

Faced with the many challenges described, and noting the special impacts on women and girls in the African context, we reaffirm our commitment to the Mothers’ Cry for a Healthy Africa campaign, and welcome the launch of this campaign in the SADC region which took place during this Summit. We believe that it is through the eyes, experiences and voices of African women that we can best understand and respond to the interlinked challenges of seeking peace and promoting development in this region.

IFAPA Botswana Chapter

We also welcome the establishment and launch of the IFAPA Botswana Chapter, which encourages all of us in the ongoing search for peace and development throughout the continent, and for all of Africa’s daughters and sons.

Done at Gaborone, 20 November 2009

Message from the President

A peaceful Africa is not just a far fetched dream but a real possibility. We already have a few examples of countries in Africa where this is the case. However, the realization of a peaceful Africa will entirely depend on how serious the Africans are committed to peace and willing to take practical steps towards this goal.

IFAPA believes that the time is now for Africa to stand on its own feet and renew itself; that the roadmap to a peaceful Africa requires that all stakeholders engage in action oriented dialogue;  that religious communities, governments, private sector and civil society create a partnership based on shared values. Let a  peaceful Africa be a New Africa, where the beliefs and traditions of others are mutually respected; where nations and peoples live in peace not in conflict; where wasteful competition is reduced; where the principle of good neighborliness is upheld; where gender equality and the right to live a decent life are promoted. Yes, a peaceful Africa is possible but lets not forget that peace cannot be imported from outside. We need indigenous soil and indigenous seeds for a New Africa.

President of IFAPA, Rev. Dr. Ishmael Noko

November 2009

Posted in: Summit 2009.

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