UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Special Envoy Erik Solheim and a team of UNEP technical experts are meeting with representatives of the Government of Nigeria and other key partners in Abuja and Port Harcourt, Nigeria, this week to initiate the remediation of Ogoniland, UNEP has announced.
The details of the remediation were outlined in the UNEP Environmental Assessment of Ogoniland, published in August 2011.
5 February 2013: UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Special Envoy Erik Solheim and a team of UNEP technical experts are meeting with representatives of the Government of Nigeria and other key partners in Abuja and Port Harcourt, Nigeria, to initiate the remediation of Ogoniland, UNEP has announced. The details of the remediation were outlined in the UNEP Environmental Assessment of Ogoniland, published in August 2011.
The Assessment found serious threats to human health due to soil and groundwater contamination by oil, and issued recommendations for restoring the environment, including the establishment of an “Ogoniland Environmental Restoration Authority,” with initial funding of US$1 billion to address oil pollution. In July 2012, the Government of Nigeria established the Hydrocarbon Pollution Restoration Project (HYPREP) to implement the environmental clean-up in Ogoniland.
Solheim, with a core technical UNEP team, is meeting with key government officials, NGOs, and civil society representatives to establish the next steps in assisting with the clean-up.
Regarding the potential long-term environmental sustainability of Ogoniland, Solheim said “dialogue, confidence and trust” were required. [UNEP Press Release] [IISD RS Story on UNEP Environmental Assessment]