Delegates at the 19th African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) which kicks off today on Monday, August 14, 2023, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, have been called upon to uphold and defend the African position on climate change, which is said to be based on equity, justice, and the right to sustainable development.
The call is sequel to a roundtable discussion involving some 100 civil society organisations (CSOs) gathered from August 10 to 11 in the Ethiopian capital to address concerns about safeguarding African interests in regional and global environmental and climate change dialogues.
Convened at the instance of the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA), the roundtable comprised participants representing environmental, faith-based, indigenous peoples, community-led, women, youth, and farmer organisations.
They set out to engage with AMCEN and contribute to its deliberations and outcomes.
While recognising the efforts and achievements of AMCEN in advancing the common African position on climate change and promoting regional cooperation and integration, the CSOs expressed concern over the increasing impacts of climate change on the continent, developed countries’ lack of ambition and commitment to fulfill their historical responsibilities and legal obligations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its Paris Agreement, the change in the stance of some African leaders regarding climate justice, and the lack of African CSOs representation in the African Climate Summit.
They asked AMCEN to reject any false solutions or conditionality that undermine the continent’s sovereignty, rights, and interests, such as carbon market interventions, climate geoengineering, etc.
“We urge AMCEN to reiterate and uphold the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and capabilities that form the bedrock of Africa’s common position and reject new narratives promoting a principle of shared responsibilities.
“We reaffirm our solidarity and support to AMCEN as an essential voice of Africa in the global climate arena. We commit ourselves to continue working with AMCEN and other stakeholders to advance the African agenda on climate change and ensure a fair, effective, and ambitious outcome of the UNFCCC COP28 in 2023,” added the CSOs.
They also advised AMCEN on issues related to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, Plastic Pollution and the International Legally Binding Instrument to End Plastic Pollution and the sixth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-6).
By Dare Akogun
