Date: 2014-06-09

GLOBE Nigeria President and Chairman, Senate Committee on Environment & Ecology, Senator Bukola Saraki has congratulated the Global Legislators Organisation (GLOBE International) and the parliament and people of Mexico for successfully hosting the second World Summit of Legislators which took place between 6-8 June 2014.

Recognizing that tackling poverty and the unsustainable use of natural resources are the biggest challenges facing humanity in the 21st century, Senator Bukola Saraki joined other GLOBE legislators to welcome the progress that has been made by international processes to address these issues, however, noting with serious concern that the world remains on an unsustainable pathway and that there is a need for urgent action.

Senator Saraki said although GLOBE Nigeria (a non partisan group of environmentally minded legislators across both arms of the National assembly), is only one year old, their continuous participation and support in global legislative activities shows positive signs in the growing political will of Nigerian Legislators in achieving sustainable development objectives through parliamentary diplomacy and cross-party cooperation in law making. He stated that environmental problems has become global in nature and require a global approach to addressing them. One of the outcomes of the summit on climate change for example is that well-informed climate legislation can bring significant national and local co-benefits, including strengthening energy security, improving health, reducing disaster risks, increasing access to sustainable energy and investment into clean and domestic energy sources. Another is recognizing that the sustainable management of the Earth's natural capital is indispensable in attaining not only our biodiversity preservation targets but also all sustainable development objectives that depend on the continued flow of ecosystem services and natural resources that sustain human life.

Mr. Innocent Onah, who is the Director of GLOBE Nigeria said the summit is an opportunity for governments and the United Nations to recognize the unique work of Legislators globally and that a new generation of international agreement on sustainable development that reinforces better management of our natural resources is essential.

Saraki said GLOBE Nigeria is developing a Nigerian National Natural Capital Accounting Action Plan which will assist us better manage our natural resources and apply the right economic value to provisional services that provide us food, timber, crude oil, medicines, and other useful chemicals. He also said that a diagnosis of existing national legal frameworks connected to the ecosystem services that contributes to food security and improved livelihood of Nigerians is currently on going with a view to developing a natural capital law for Nigeria. Such an initiative if well backed up with maximum political will and given all necessary support from all quarters, it would help reshape existing policy and national accounting frameworks to accurately reflect the relationship between the economy and the environment.