African non-state actors tasked to be partners in national climate actions

African interest groups in the climate change discourse have welcomed the progress made at the last United Nations climate negotiations in Marrakech, Morocco for developing the pathway for implementation of the Paris Agreement.

There is however a call on African non-state actors to enhance cooperation and partnerships with African governments and development partners to intensify national climate actions in the implementation of the Paris Agreement.

At COP22 in Marrakech, Morocco in 2016, countries of the world demonstrated commitment for shifting the focus from negotiation to implementation of the provisions of the Paris Agreement.

Due to this reality, COP22 focused on how to make Paris agreement work by setting up mechanisms and structures that would facilitate its implementation.

Dubbed ‘COP of Action’, the Marrakech Climate Change Conference affirmed the trajectory the global leaders seek to follow in the climate-constrained world when they launched the Marrakech partnership for global climate action, coming on the backdrop on rapid ratification which saw the Agreement coming into force earlier than anticipated.

The Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) hosted a regional consultative forum on Post-Marrakech and the implementation of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change in Kampala, Uganda, from April 19–22, 2017.

The consultation brought together participants from civil society, private sector, regional institutions such as United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and the Pan-African Parliament, youth and women representatives. 

The participants underscored the remarkable effort of PACJA in the coordination of CSO climate change policy processes and interventions across Africa with focused reflection and coordinated review of the climate change conference – COP 22 Marrakech – outcome and Paris Agreement regime.

The forum upheld the continent’s conviction of moving from commitment to action with Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) demonstrated by ratifying the Paris Agreement and its subsequent entry into force.

Participants expressed deep concern about “the continuous neglecting of adaptation needs of developing countries and inadequate levels of public climate finance, limited access to adaptation finance such demonstrated by the imbalance between financing of mitigation and adaptation within the Green Climate Fund”.

Concerns were also raised about the interference by developed countries on the African-led process of operationalizing the Africa Renewable Energy Initiative.

The forum called upon the Pan-African Parliament to strengthen the work of the African Climate Change Legislative Initiative by supporting countries to develop and implement climate change legislations as part of action to enhance implementation of the Paris Agreement.

The meeting acknowledging the continued efforts to enhance the gender agenda within the climate change discourse and the championing of youth engagement.

Participants also acknowledged the continued partnership with the African Group of Negotiators, Africa Ministerial Committee on Environment (AMCEN), Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC) and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa.