(c) improve water catchment management, including rainwater harvesting; and
(d) adopt and promote the use of environmentally safe methods of land use.
Article 110. Food Security
The Partner States shall:
(a) establish a mechanism for exchange of information on demand and supply surpluses and deficits, trade, forecasting and state of food nutrition;
(b) harmonise quality and standards of inputs and products including food additives;
(c) develop modalities to have timely information on market prices;
(d) harmonise food supply, nutrition and food security policies and strategies;
(e) initiate and maintain strategic food reserves; and
(f) develop marine and inland aquaculture and fish farming.
Chapter Nineteen. Co-operation In Environment and Natural Resources Management
Article 111. Environmental Issues and Natural Resources
The Partner States recognise that development activities may have negative impacts on the environment leading to the degradation of the environment and depletion of natural resources and that a clean and healthy environment is a prerequisite for sustainable development. The Partner States therefore:
(a) agree to take concerted measures to foster co-operation in the joint and efficient management and sustainable utilisation of natural resources within the Community;
(b) undertake, through environmental management strategy, to co-operate and co-ordinate their policies and actions for the protection and conservation of the natural resources and environment against all forms of degradation and pollution arising from developmental activities;
(c) undertake to co-operate and adopt common policies for control of trans-boundary movement of toxic and hazardous waste including nuclear materials and any other undesirable materials;
(d) shall provide prior and timely notification and relevant information to each other on natural and human activities that may or are likely to have significant trans-boundary environmental impacts and shall consult with each other at an early stage; and
(e) shall develop and promote capacity building programmes for sustainable management of natural resources.
2. Action by the Community relating to the environment shall have the following objectives:
(a) to preserve, protect and enhance the quality of the environment;
(b) to contribute towards the sustainability of the environment;
(c) to ensure sustainable utilisation of natural resources like lakes, wetlands, forests and other aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems; and
(d) to jointly develop and adopt water resources conservation and management policies that ensure sustenance and preservation of ecosystems.
Article 112. Management of the Environment
1. For purposes of Article 111 of this Treaty, the Partner States undertake to co-operate in the management of the environment and agree to:
(a) develop a common environmental management policy that would sustain the eco-systems of the Partner States, prevent, arrest and reverse the effects of environmental degradation;
(b) develop special environmental management strategies to manage fragile ecosystems, terrestrial and marine resources, noxious emissions and toxic and hazardous chemicals;
(c) take measures to control trans-boundary air, land and water pollution arising from developmental activities;
(d) take necessary disaster preparedness, management, protection and mitigation measures especially for the control of natural and man-made disasters. These include oil spills, bio-hazards, floods, earthquakes, marine accidents, drought and bush fires; and
(e) integrate environmental management and conservation measures in all developmental activities such as trade, transport, agriculture, industrial development, mining and tourism in the Community.
2. For purposes of paragraph 1 of this Article, the Partner States undertake to:
(a) adopt common environment control regulations, incentives and standards;
(b) develop capabilities and measures to undertake environmental impact assessment of all development project activities and programmes;
(c) encourage the manufacture and use of bio-degradable pesticides, herbicides and packaging materials;
(d) encourage public awareness and education on the use of agricultural and industrial chemicals and fertilisers;
(e) adopt environmentally sound management techniques for the control of land degradation, such as soil erosion, desertification and forest encroachment;
(f) promote the use of non-ozone depleting susbstances and environment-friendly technologies;
(g) promote and strengthen the utilisation of training facilities and research institutions within the Community;
(h) adopt common environmental standards for the control of atmospheric, terrestrial and water pollution arising from urban and industrial development activities;
(i) exchange information on atmospheric, industrial and other forms of pollution and conservation technology;
(j) harmonise their policies and regulations for the sustainable and integrated management of shared natural resources and ecosystems;
(k) adopt measures and policies to address the existing demographic profiles such as high growth rates and fertility rates, high dependency ratio, poor social conditions and poverty in order to mitigate their adverse impact on the environment and development;
(l) adopt community environmental management programmes;
(m) promote enhancement of the quality of the environment through adoption of common measures and programmes of tree planting, afforestation and reforestation, soil conservation and recycling of materials; and
(n) adopt common policies for conservation of biodiversity and common regulations for access to, management and equitable utilisation of genetic resources.
Article 113. Prevention of Illegal Trade In and Movement of Toxic Chemicals, Substances and Hazardous Wastes
1. The Partner States undertake to co-operate and adopt common positions against illegal dumping of toxic chemicals, substances and hazardous wastes within the Community from either a Partner State or any third party.
2. The Partner States shall harmonise their legal and regulatory framework for the management, movement, utilisation and disposal of toxic substances.
3. The Partner States undertake to ratify or accede to international environmental conventions that are designed to improve environmental policies and management.
Article 114. Management of Natural Resources
1. For purposes of Article 111 of this Treaty, the Partner States agree to take concerted measures to foster co-operation in the joint and efficient management and the sustainable utilisation of natural resources within the Community for the mutual benefit of the Partner States. In particular, the Partner States shall:
(a) take necessary measures to conserve their natural resources;
(b) co-operate in the management of their natural resources for the conservation of the eco-systems and the arrest of environmental degradation; and
(c) adopt common regulations for the protection of shared aquatic and terrestrial resources.
2. For purposes of paragraph 1 of this Article, the Partner States:
(a) with regard to the conservation and management of forests, agree to take necessary measures through:
(i) the adoption of common policies for, and the exchange of information on, the development, conservation and management of natural forests, commercial plantations and natural reserves;
(ii) the joint promotion of common forestry practices within the Community;
(iii) the joint utilisation of forestry training and research facilities;
(iv) the adoption of common regulations for the conservation and management of all catchment forests within the Community;
(v) the establishment of uniform regulations for the utilisation of forestry resources in order to reduce the depletion of natural forests and avoid desertification within the Community; and
(vi) the establishment of Api-Agro Forestry Systems.
(b) with regard to the management of their water and marine resources, agree to co-operate through:
(i) the establishment and adoption of common regulations for the better management and development of marine parks, reserves, wetlands and controlled areas;
(ii) the adoption of common policies and regulations for the conservation, management and development of fisheries resources;
(iii) the establishment of common fisheries management and investment guidelines for inland and marine waters;
(iv) the strengthening of regional natural resources management bodies;
(v) the establishment of common rules of origin for flora and fauna; and
(vi) the establishment of a body for the management of Lake Victoria;
(c) with regard to the management of the mineral resources sector, agree:
(i) to promote joint exploration, efficient exploitation and sustainable utilisation of shared mineral resources;
(ii) to pursue the creation of an enabling environment for investment in the mining sector;
(iii) to promote the establishment of databases, information exchange networks and the sharing of experiences in the management and development of the mineral sector using electronic mail, internet and other means for the interactive dissemination of mineral information;
(iv) to harmonise mining regulations to ensure environmentally friendly and sound mining practices;
(v) to adopt common policies to ensure joint fossil exploration and exploitation along the coast and rift valley; and
(vi) to establish a regional seismological network whose primary objective is to monitor seismicity and advice on mitigation measures.
Chapter Twenty. Co-operation In Tourism and Wildlife Management
Article 115. Tourism
1. In order to promote the achievement of the objectives of the Community as set out in Article 5 of this Treaty, the Partner States undertake to develop a collective and co-ordinated approach to the promotion and marketing of quality tourism into and within the Community. To this end, the Partner States shall co-ordinate their policies in the tourism industry and undertake to establish a framework of co-operation in the sector that will ensure equitable distribution of benefits.
2. The Partner States shall establish a common code of conduct for private and public tour and travel operators, standardise hotel classifications and harmonise the professional standards of agents in the tourism and travel industry within the Community.
3. The Partner States undertake to develop a regional strategy for tourism promotion whereby individual efforts are reinforced by regional action.
Article 116. Wildlife Management
The Partner States undertake to develop a collective and co-ordinated policy for the conservation and sustainable utilisation of wildlife and other tourist sites in the Community. In particular, the Partner States shall:
(a) harmonise their policies for the conservation of wildlife, within and outside protected areas;
(b) exchange information and adopt common policies on wildlife management and development;
(c) co-ordinate efforts in controlling and monitoring encroachment and poaching activities;
(d) encourage the joint use of training and research facilities and develop common management plans for trans-border protected areas; and
(e) take measures to ratify or accede to, and, implement relevant international conventions.
Chapter Twenty-One. Health, Social and Cultural Activities
Article 117. Scope of Co-operation
In order to promote the achievement of the objectives of the Community as set out in Article 5 of this Treaty, the Partner States undertake to co-operate in health, cultural and sports and social welfare activities within the Community.
Article 118. Health
With respect to co-operation in health activities, the Partner States undertake to:
(a) take joint action towards the prevention and control of communicable and non-communicable diseases and to control pandemics and epidemics of communicable and vector-borne diseases such as HIV-AIDS, cholera, malaria, hepatitis and yellow fever that might endanger the health and welfare of the residents of the Partner States, and to co-operate in facilitating mass immunization and other public health community campaigns;
(b) promote the management of health delivery systems and better planning mechanisms to enhance efficiency of health care services within the Partner States;
(c) develop a common drug policy which would include establishing quality control capacities and good procurement practices;
(d) harmonise drug registration procedures so as to achieve good control of pharmaceutical standards without impeding or obstructing the movement of pharmaceutical products within the Community;
(e) harmonise national health policies and regulations and promote the exchange of information on health issues in order to achieve quality health within the Community;
(f) co-operate in promoting research and the development of traditional, alternate or herbal medicines;
(g) co-operate in the development of specialised health training, health research, reproductive health, the pharmaceutical products and preventive medicine;
(h) promote the development of good nutritional standards and the popularisation of indigenous foods; and
(i) develop a common approach through the education of the general public and their law enforcement agencies for the control and eradication of the trafficking and consumption of illicit or banned drugs.
Article 119. Culture and Sports
The Partner States shall promote close co-operation amongst themselves in culture and sports, with respect to:
(a) the promotion and enhancement of diverse sports activities;
(b) the development of mass media programmes on matters that will promote the development of culture and sports within the Community;
(c) the promotion of cultural activities, including the fine arts, literature, music, the performing arts and other artistic creations, and the conservation, safeguarding and development of the cultural heritage of the Partner States including, historical materials and antiquities;
(d) the development and promotion of indigenous languages especially Kiswahili as a lingua franca;
(e) the regulation of cross border trade in ethnographic materials, licensing of antique dealers and adoption of a common approach and co-operation in tackling the illicit cross border trade in cultural property;
(f) acceding to and ratification of international conventions that directly bear upon culture such as:
(i) the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict; and
(ii) the UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibition and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property;
(g) harmonising their policies for the conservation of their national antiquities and museums and the prevention of illegal trade in cultural property; and
(h) any other activities aimed at promoting an East African identity.
Article 120. Social Welfare
The Partner States undertake to closely co-operate amongst themselves in the field of social welfare with respect to:
(a) employment, poverty alleviation programmes and working conditions;
(b) vocational training and the eradication of adult illiteracy in the Community; and
(c) the development and adoption of a common approach towards the disadvantaged and marginalised groups, including children, the youth, the elderly and persons with disabilities through rehabilitation and provision of, among others, foster homes, health care education and training.
Chapter Twenty-Two. Enhancing the Role of Women In Socio-economic Development
Article 121. The Role of Women In Socio-economic Development
The Partner States recognise that women make a significant contribution towards the process of socio-economic transformation and sustainable growth and that it is impossible to implement effective programmes for the economic and social development of the Partner States without the full participation of women. To this end, the Partner States shall through appropriate legislative and other measures:
(a) promote the empowerment and effective integration and participation of women at all levels of socio-economic development especially in decision-making;
(b) abolish legislation and discourage customs that are discriminatory against women;
(c) promote effective education awareness programmes aimed at changing negative attitudes towards women;
(d) create or adopt technologies which will ensure the stability of employment and professional progress for women workers; and
(e) take such other measures that shall eliminate prejudices against women and promote the equality of the female gender with that of the male gender in every respect.
Article 122. The Role of Women In Business
Having recognised the importance of women as a vital economic link between agriculture, industry and trade, the Partner States undertake to:
(a) increase the participation of women in business at the policy formulation and implementation levels;
(b) promote special programmes for women in small, medium and large scale enterprises;
(c) eliminate all laws, regulations and practises that hinder women's access to financial assistance including credit;
(d) initiate changes in educational and training strategies to enable women to improve their technical and industrial employment levels through the acquisition of transferable skills offered by various forms of vocational and on-the-job training schemes; and
(e) recognise and support the national and regional associations of women in business established to promote the effective participation of women in the trade and development activities of the Community.
Chapter Twenty-Three. Co-operation In Political Matters
Article 123. Political Affairs
1. In order to promote the achievement of the objectives of the Community as set out in Article 5 of this Treaty particularly with respect to the eventual establishment of a Political Federation of the Partner States, the Partner States shall establish common foreign and security policies.
2. For purposes of paragraph 1 of this Article, the Community and its Partner States shall define and implement common foreign and security policies.
3. The objectives of the common foreign and security policies shall be to:
(a) safeguard the common values, fundamental interests and independence of the Community;
(b) strengthen the security of the Community and its Partner States in all ways;
(c) develop and consolidate democracy and the rule of law and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms;
(d) preserve peace and strengthen international security among the Partner States and within the Community;
(e) promote co-operation at international fora; and
(f) enhance the eventual establishment of a Political Federation of the Partner States.
4. The Community shall pursue the objectives set out in paragraph 3 of this Article by:
(a) establishing systematic co-operation between the Partner States on any matter of foreign or security policies of general interest within the Community in order to define a common position to be applied by the Partner States;
(b) the co-ordination of the actions of the Partner States and the upholding by them of such co-ordinated actions in international organisations and at international conferences;
(c) the unreserved support of the Partner States of the Community’s foreign and security policies and the avoidance by the Partner States of any action on their part which is contrary to the interests of the Community or is likely to impair the effectiveness of the Community as a cohesive force in international relations;
(d) peaceful resolution of disputes and conflicts between and within the Partner States; (e) the co-ordination of the defence policies of the Partner States; and