Africa: Leaders Pavilion Set at COP17/CMP7 in South Africa
By Staff Writer
ADDIS ABABA— The United Nations Climate Change Conference will be meeting with representatives of the world’s governments, international organisations and civil society on 28 November – 9 December 2011 at a conference in Durban, Republic of South Africa.
The conference is also commonly referred technically as the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 7th Session of the Meeting of the Parties (CMP7) to the Kyoto Protocol.
The main objectives of COP17/CMP7 meeting is to discuss the discourse that sets the context for Africa-relevant climate change issues and themes in the larger framework of sustainable development in Africa. They will as well table the articulation by African policy makers, practitioners, researchers and community representatives of the gaps and demands for appropriate knowledge, policy directions and actions, and technical services including those for the wider public.
The leaders will as well create an avenue for identifying policies, practices and research recommendations for stakeholders; and, promoting quality scientific research, field experience and evidence-based policy more extensively.
The roundtable discussions will cover the thematic areas including, Climate finance for Africa, Low carbon development and energy access for Africa, Hydro metrological services and water resources for Africa, Agriculture and food security across Africa among other efficacies across the region.
The negotiations return to Africa at a time when there is a higher level of awareness of the impact of climate change on Africa, supported by a growing body of research and adaptation and mitigation practices on the ground. Furthermore, the conference offers an opportunity to showcase some of the important initiatives and activities in Africa regarding climate change and development by a wide range of actors, and to ensure that development and climate change are at the forefront of discussions and negotiations.
Meeting on 29 June 2011 on the sidelines of the African Union Summit in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, the Committee of Heads of State and Government on Climate Change stressed the importance of adaptation as a priority agenda for Africa. It underscored the need for a mechanism for concrete implementation of adaptation actions and the associated financial and technological support. African Heads of State and Government also called for the creation of an Africa Green Fund to provide Africa with access to climate finance at a scale that can accomplish transformational impact using mechanisms that best respond to Africa’s needs.
The conference constitutes a milestone for climate change negotiations. It has now been nearly 20 years since the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development—also known as the Earth Summit—in Rio de Janeiro. At that summit, among others, climate change negotiations were kick-started. As a result, the UNFCCC was opened for signing by UN member states.
COP17/CMP7 has symbolic significance for climate negotiations because it is being held on a continent that is widely acknowledged to be bearing the brunt of climate change. There is much hope and optimism that the negotiations will move forward significantly on some of the important elements of the multilateral climate framework. They are expected to build on COP16-CMP6 agreements in Cancun, Mexico in 2010.
Partners to the conference include the World Food Programme, the World Bank, and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, Republic of South Africa, African Union Commission (AUC), African Development Bank (AfDB) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA).