Constraints on the achievement of the targets for 2015

• Lack of training for the importers about banned chemicals as well as chemicals that are in the process of being banned at international level.
• Lack of training for refrigeration and air conditioning technicians about banned substances and substances being banned as well as about good environmental practices, with a view to the prevention of atmospheric emissions of ozone layer depleting substances.
• Due to the impact of climate change the country is losing natural resources and biodiversity due to cyclical floods, cyclones and droughts.
• The increase of the sea water level is causing salt intrusion, provoking the salting of soils that previously were suitable for agriculture, and is also increasing coastal erosion and affecting the coastal and marine ecosystems, which are an important source of income for the Mozambicans (about 60% of the Mozambican population lives in the coastal areas).

Recommendations for the achievement of the targets for 2015

To improve sector performance with a view to the rapid achievement of the MDG targets it is necessary to:

• Assure a sustainability supply of water and sanitation services;
• Reinforce the coordination and dialogue among ministries, institutions, civil society, private sector, and partners involved in the environment activities;
• Promote conducive measures for adaptation to climate change, particularly in the coastal areas;
• Fortify education, communication, and environment promotion actions, especially in the local communities;
• Promotion of instruments such as the Strategic Environmental Evaluation, so that the environmental sustainability of the sector’s programs can be assured;
• Set systematic and uniform procedures for the environmental data collection;
• Fortify the training activities for the police, custom officers, and border guards in the monitoring and preservation of natural resources;
• Promote capacity building for the refrigeration and climatization technicians on substance that destroy the ozone layer as well as on alternatives substances;
• Equip regional centers for recycling and recovering of ozone destroying substances;
• Collection of all equipment functioning with chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) and halogenated substances for destruction;
• Promote awareness campaign on methyl bromide importers to guarantee these substances banning until 2015;
• Run an inventory in the sectors working with refrigeration and air conditioning equipment for the destruction of ozone destroying material in the centres with appropriate technologies;
• Make available the equipments capable of detecting environment-friendly substances such as, for example, R-410a, R-407C, R-507, R- 600a and R-290, among others;
• Provide better training for border police and customs officials for the inspection and preservation of natural resources;
• Train the refrigeration and air conditioning technicians in topics related to ozone layer depleting substances as well as the use of alternative sources;
• Promote public debate and talks with the citizens about environmental issues;
• Improve the inspection of the import and use of environmentally harmful and banned substances;
• Collect and destroy the environmentally harmful and banned substances in the national stock.

Positive factors of progress in the indicators

• The Strategic Environmental Evaluation of the coastal area is on the top of government agenda;
• Bigger action of the Ministry for Environmental Coordination in the coordination of the across sectors, at the central level (environmental unities, environmental focal points) and local governances to deepen the process of integration of environmental agenda in the sectoral plans and programs;
• Beginning of the National Program for water and rural and establishment of common fund for rural investment;
• Fortification of process of decentralization especially for the water supply and sanitation in the urban areas by the creation of the infrastructure’s administration for water which will make the investment in the urban area sustainable;
• A positive factor to be emphasized in the implementation of the MDG is the strengthening of inter-sectoral coordination, given that the implementation and monitoring of Objective 7 (Ensure environmental sustainability) requires the cooperation of many sectors, due to the cross-cutting nature of environmental issues;
• At this moment the forestry sector benefits from support for the implementation of the National Forest Programme, with emphasis on the sustainable management of natural resources;
• With the banning of the CFCs an increase is observed of imports of refrigeration and air conditioning equipment functioning on the basis of environment-friendly substances;
• The existence of presidential initiatives promoting the cause of the environment;
• The “community forests” movement;
• The existence of private initiatives such as the “A tree as a friend” movement of the SOICO group, promoting the cause of the environment.

Source: Report on the Millennium Development Goals - Mozambique 2010