By:- Dawit Astatike
PACJA called on African heads of state to scale up investment in the international dialogue on climate change.
Addis Ababa ( Ethiopia Today) February 18, 2023: PACJA, a consortium of more than 1,000 organizations from 51 African countries, called for a unified approach to ensure Africa’s success at climate change negotiations.
PACJA convened a two-day continental strategy workshop from 15th to 16th February, 2023, in Addis Ababa, on the sidelines of the 36th ordinary session of the African Union Heads of State and Government Summit.
The meeting, which brought together key stakeholders from the public, civil, and private sectors, was aimed at strategizing and shaping a common framework for the continent’s advocacy and participation at COP-28.
Speaking at a multistakeholder consultation, AGN Chair Ephraim Mwepya Shitima said the African group remains committed to engaging with, and providing technical guidance and support to all stakeholders, ranging from political leaders, civil society and other development actors, to ensure Africa’s success at climate change negotiations.
“As AGN, we take stakeholder engagements and consultations very seriously as they provide us with different views and positions that we have to advance in the negotiations, thereby cementing our legitimacy to speak for the continent,” said Shitima adding that the AGN is “determined to build on the successes we achieved at COP-27 and strengthen areas where we did not do well as we head to COP-28 and will rely on inputs from all stakeholders.”
The group also recommended the creation of a task force of African negotiators and advocates to develop African inputs into the newly created facility for the financing of loss and damage and provide technical support to AGN representatives in the fund establishment process.
PACJA Executive Director, Mithika Mwenda paid tribute to the AGN for its continued key role in pushing Africa’s agenda in the climate change negotiation process and called on African governments to get actively involved in the technical processes to ensure unity of purpose.
Dr. Mwenda said that PACJA wishes to see a unified approach at both the technical and high-level engagements to ensure that there is no misrepresentation of Africa’s interests and aspirations.
“The Africa Group of Negotiators (AGN) played a key role in the negotiations at COP27; we therefore encourage everyone to be fully involved in the negotiations so as to have a stronger voice in the negotiation rooms. “This meeting is therefore important to put in place a strategy to ensure unity of purpose as Africa heads to COP28,” adds Dr. Mwenda.
Earlier, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa’s (UNECA’s) Director for Technology, Climate Change, and Natural Resources Management, Jean Paul, highlighted the increasing costs associated with climate change impacts in Africa and the need for an interlinked approach to addressing them.
He said an analysis by UNCEA has revealed that Africa will require in excess of USD 400 billion for climate adaptation by 2030.
“Our approach is to ensure that climate change is not treated as a single development issue but rather be tackled in a systematic and holistic manner—addressing all interlinked issues as they relate to the continent’s development and achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” said Jean Paul.
