In terms of Section 8 (5) of the Environmental Management Act, 2007 (Act No. 7 of 2007), the Ministry of Environment and Tourism herewith invites nominations of persons that represent the interests of organisations, associations or institutions concerned with environmental matters to serve on the Sustainable Development Advisory Council.

The main functions of the Council are to promote cooperation and coordination and to advise the Minister on policy and legislative issues relating to the environment and sustainable development.

The winners of the second Sustainable Development Awards were announced at a gala event in Windhoek on 21st September 2017. The initiative was coordinated through the Sustainable Development Advisory Council, Environmental Investment Fund of Namibia and the Hanns Seidel Foundation Environmental Awareness and Climate Project.

The awards intend to recognise the importance of integrating sustainability into the core business and industry as well as the daily lives of our citizens. Over 90 nominations and applications were received overall.

Entries are now open for the 2017 Sustainable Development Awards.

The main aims of the 2017 Sustainable Development Awards are to:

• Raise awareness of the importance of sustainable development among all Namibians,
• Recognise and reward the outstanding contributions of organisations and individuals active in this field
• Inspire others to contribute to the sustainable development of the nation.

Closing date for entries is Monday 14^th August 2017.

The second edition of the Sustainable Development Awards was officially launched at a press conference in Windhoek on Friday, July 7th 2017.

Speaking at the event, Dr. Michael Humavindu of the Sustainable Development Advisory Council, outlined the main aims of the awards which are to raise awareness of the importance of sustainable development among all Namibians, to recognise and reward the outstanding contributions of organisations and individuals active in this field, and to inspire others to contribute to the sustainable development of the nation.

The Sustainable Development Advisory Council held its first ever retreat in March 2017. The retreat provided an opportunity for the Council to identify and prioritise its intervention areas and methodologies during 2017/18.

In view of the ongoing high level discussions on the banning of plastic bags and increasing public awareness campaigns on the matter, the SDAC engaged with Plastic Packaging cc on 24^th March 2017.

The engagement involved a tour of the recycling plant and operations of Plastic Packaging cc in Okahandja and an exchange on the problem of plastic and how it can be best resolved in Namibia.