The ministry of environment has launched a national Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEA) Monitoring and Reporting Platform aimed at improving how Namibia collects, manages and reports environmental data while strengthening evidence-based policymaking.
Speaking at the launch, minister Indileni Daniel described the platform as a major milestone in ensuring that environmental information is centralised, accessible and used to guide national planning and fulfil Namibia's international environmental obligations.
She said reliable environmental data has become increasingly important as Namibia faces growing challenges from land degradation, biodiversity loss and climate change.
"When land is degraded, biodiversity is lost, livelihoods are weakened, and communities become more vulnerable to drought and climate change. Our response must therefore be coordinated and supported by reliable information," Daniel said.
She stressed that the initiative is firmly rooted in the Namibian Constitution, which obliges the State to protect ecosystems and biological diversity while ensuring the sustainable use of natural resources for present and future generations.
According to Daniel, the platform will serve as an official government resource owned and managed by the ministry, bringing together environmental information from multiple sources into a single system that can support research, planning, decision-making and national reporting.
"It will help government and its partners understand where progress is being made, where gaps remain and where action is most urgently required," she said.
Daniel said that the platform is more than a technical database, describing it as a strategic tool that will improve environmental governance and provide the public with access to credible environmental information.
She said the Department of Environmental Affairs will act as the custodian of the platform and will be responsible for ensuring it remains updated, well-managed and responsive to Namibia's reporting and policy requirements.
Daniel highlighted the critical partnership between the ministry and the University of Namibia (UNAM), which provided technical and academic expertise to develop the platform through the Namibia Integrated Landscape Approach for Enhancing Livelihoods and Environmental Governance (NILALEG) Project.
She said that through the collaboration, an MEA Monitoring Unit was established, a national monitoring framework was developed and extensive consultations were held with government institutions, researchers and organisations responsible for environmental data.
The project has also supported doctoral research at both UNAM and the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST), helping to build local scientific expertise in biodiversity conservation, climate change, land degradation and natural resource management.
Daniel said strengthening local research capacity would ensure Namibia's environmental reporting is increasingly informed by Namibian scientists and reflects the country's unique environmental realities.
Daniel also announced that the ministry and UNAM are expanding their collaboration through a new Memorandum of Understanding that will focus on joint research, postgraduate supervision, data sharing, training and resource mobilisation.
She said the partnership would reinforce the ministry's stewardship of the platform while drawing on the expertise of academic institutions to improve environmental management.
Daniel called on government institutions, universities, development partners, civil society organisations and the private sector to actively support the ministry by sharing data, aligning research with national priorities and ensuring environmental commitments are incorporated into annual work plans and budgets.
"Our ambition is to develop the ministry's MEA Monitoring Unit and platform into a recognised centre of excellence in Africa, known for credible information, practical research, innovation and strong partnerships," she said.
