Opcions Pan African Climate Justice Alliance

AFRICAN CIVIL SOCIETY POSITION STATEMENT ON CLIMATE CHANGE AND POST 2015 PROCESSES DURING THE 22ND AU SUMMIT HELD IN ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA

We represent over 800 African Civil Society Organizations from diverse backgrounds in Africa under the auspices of the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA), have actively been engaged in the ongoing international dialogue on the post-2012 global climate change treaty. PACJA and its members have closely followed all climate-related deliberations since 2008, both regionally and globally.

We have observed the evolution of a coordinated framework on the climate change dialogue processes among key African Governmental processes. Satisfied that our recommendation for tripartite structure for climate policy-making, in which technical negotiations are undertaken by the African Group of Negotiators under UNFCCC, ministerial guidance is provided by AMCEN, and over-arching recommendations are endorsed by the African Union, has served Africa well. Chances of conflict and duplication which existed earlier have minimized, thus rendering the African processes the most effective in the world. We thank and congratulate our leaders for this progress.

Crucially important to CSOs is the next two years when most important processes that will potentially shape future development frameworks across the globe will be concluded by 2015:

(i) Negotiations for the New Climate Change treaty under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
(ii) Negotiations for the new development Framework to succeed the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) spearheaded by the United Nations

We, African CSOs, view the two processes interrelated, and dependent on each other. Sustainable Development Goals cannot be attained if the global community fails to heed the recommendations by science and act decisively on climate change.

At the 2012 Rio+20 Conference, all countries agreed that climate change is a major obstacle to sustainable development and poverty eradication. This is supported by the experience of people living in poverty and vulnerability and major UN reports feeding into post-2015.

Science further underlines the immediate need for action in all areas, including international development. The urgency for action is underpinned by climate science and the window of opportunity for avoiding dangerous climate change is rapidly closing.

The post-2015 framework must therefore help to make climate action in all countries happen without further delay and must support poor people, particularly in Africa, to build resilience so as to adapt to climate impacts they are experiencing already.

Time is running out for Africa. While we appreciate the progress our leaders have made in coming up with the African Common Position for UNFCCC, we are concerned that the Post-2015 process in Africa is experiencing unnecessary delays. A Strong African voice is needed to ensure the next global framework truly reflects Africa’s priorities and needs. UN processes to determine what will follow the Millennium Development Goals are already well underway, and will not wait for Africa.

Now is the time to lay strong foundations for the future, and ensure that African perspectives are strongly reflected in the Post-2015 development framework. A sufficiently ambitious Common African Position must be published as soon as possible, to both facilitate transparent discussion and endeavor for development, followed by final agreement at the AU Summit in June 2014 at the very latest.

Such agreement must anchor on a genuine global sustainability pathway, and must reflect the integrated link on social, economic, cultural and environmental dimensions of development. Any development agenda that fails to integrate these dimensions in a balanced way is not acceptable for addressing present and future development challenges in Africa.

CONTACTS:

Mithika Mwenda

Secretary General

Kenya Mobile #: +254 724 403 5555

Email: mithika@pacja.org

Dr. Tolbert Thomas Jallah, Jr.

FECCIWA/PACJA

Ethiopia Mobile#: + 251 93 98 52776

Email: secretarygeneral@fecciwa.org