APPENDIX 



STATEMENT OF GARY BOMBARDIER 



DEPUTY ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR 



BUREAU FOR AFRICA 



U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT 



COMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 



SUBCOMMITTEE ON AFRICA 



U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 



JULY 17, 1996 



Thank you, Madam Chair, for this opportunity to discuss the environmental challenges 

 facing Africa and the role the U.S. Agency for International Development (US AID) is playing 

 in helping Africans to address those challenges. 



The issues you have asked us to address today are large and diverse, just like Africa 

 itself. I will focus primarily on five major points that I believe are particularly salient: 



• First, the deterioration of Africa's environment poses a fundamental challenge to its 

 economies, to the well-being of its people, and in important respects to the global 

 community as a whole. 



• In Africa, the environment and poverty are inextricably linked. It is impossible to 

 address one of these issues without addressing the other. 



• While the enviroimient is still deteriorating in many places in Africa, there has been 

 progress and there are many signs that give hope for a better future. 



• The most impressive development during the last decade has been that Africans 

 themselves increasingly understand the importance of the environment and are making 

 a growing commitment to taking the actions necessary to address these challenges. 



1 

 (25) 



