BRIEFING OF AFRICAN GROUP OF AMBASSADORS ON CLIMATE CHANGE NEGOTIATIONS IN

PREPARATION FOR TWENTY-FIRST CONFERENCE OF PARTIES TO

UNITED NATIONS FRAMEWORK CONVENTION ON CLIMATE

CHANGE (UNFCCC) (COP 21)

AFRICAN UNION COMMISSION (AUC)

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM

27 OCTOBER 2015

Outline of Presentation

• Background• Global Efforts and Responses• Regional efforts in African Continent• Preparations for COP 21 /CMP 11• CAHOSCC Key Messages• Status of Negotiations• Africa’s Engagement @ COP 21 / CMP 11• Conclusion

Background

Challenge and Vulnerability

• Climate Change is a global challenge.• Africa is most vulnerable continent and

least adaptive capability.• Great impacts on development in Africa -

GDP of most countries are dependent on climate sensitive sectors such as: Agriculture, Livestock and fisheries,

Tourism and Energy. • Africa contributes least Greenhouse Gases

(GHGs) but suffers most.

Adverse Impacts

• Adverse impacts of Climate Change.• Manifestations through reduced or

variable precipitation, droughts and flooding and the consequent disruption of agricultural, energy and transport systems.

• Human security - Threats to : Food and Water supplies. Properties and Infrastructure Development.

IPCC Report – Africa by 2020: (1)

• Water Resources - 75 and 250 million people projected: increased water stress and variability, pressures on water availability, water accessibility and water demand.

• Agriculture: Adversely affect food security and exacerbate malnutrition, some countries - rain-fed agriculture reduced by 50%, agricultural production - severely compromised.

IPCC Report – Africa by 2020: (2)

• Human health - e.g. malaria in southern Africa and East African highlands.

• Associated infrastructure losses - reduced hydro-generation capacity.

• Rise of conflicts - reduced access to natural resources depend considerably for their lives and livelihoods.

Global Efforts and Responses (1)

• 1992 - Climate Convention and its related legal instruments established to:

Stabilize Greenhouse Gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with climate system.

Level to achieve within a time-frame sufficient to allow ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change.

Global Efforts and Responses (2)

• 1992 - Climate Convention - Ensure food production is not threatened and enable economic development to proceed in a sustainable manner.”

• Article 2 of UNFCCC seeks to control carbon emissions and support sustainable development.

Global Efforts and Responses (3)• However, despite years of negotiations since

1992;• Reports:• Global warming worsened, eroding past efforts on

development • Search continues for an appropriate governance framework

Capable of adequately controlling GHGs emissionsGenerating new resources and investments in

adaptation and disaster risk reduction, and ensuring development remains sustainable.

Regional Efforts in African Continent (1)

• African States have been Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) from its outset

• Developed several high-level continental, sub-regional and national mechanisms to enhance their implementation of the Convention.

Regional Efforts in African Continent (2)

• African Union Summit Decisions (2009 – 2015)

• Instituted firm negotiating structure at three tiers in climate governance framework that is functional, capable of controlling emissions in the climate system.

Regional Efforts in African Continent (3)

• Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC)

Reinforce African Common Position and its Key Messages in global fora & negotiations leading to Paris to get a good new Climate Change Agreement.

• African Ministerial Conference on Environment (AMCEN).

• African Group of Negotiators on Climate Change (AGN).

Keys Milestones in African Regional Efforts• Adopted a Decision and Declaration in January 2007

Summit and launched Climate for Development in Africa (ClimDev-Africa) Programme.

• June 2009 Sirte Summit adopted a Decision for AUC to elaboration of Climate Change Strategy (draft considered by AMCEN in March 2015 as work in progress).

• Malabo June 2014 Summit endorsed High Level Work Programme on Climate Change Action in Africa (WPCCAA) – Africa’s blueprint for Climate Action.

• June 2015 – preparation of two initiatives for Paris

Preparations for COP 21 / CMP 11 (1)

• 15th Session of AMCEN held in March 2015 in Cairo, Egypt– Decision on Climate Change.

• AU Summits held in January and June 2015 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and Johannesburg, South Africa adopted Decisions.

• 10 Project Proposals endorsed by ClimDev-Africa Steering Committee in April 2015 and fund disbursement commenced immediately.

Preparations for COP 21 / CMP 11 (2)

• African countries presenting individual and collective efforts on adaptation and mitigation including the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs): High level Event on Climate Change in June 2015 and prior to Paris COP.

• CAHOSCC on margins of UNGA -70, New York in September 2015:

Adopted Key Political Messages. Endorsed two Initiatives – African Renewable Energy

Initiative (AREI) and Adaptation and Loss and Damage Initiative.

CAHOSCC Key Messages

African COP 17 known as Durban COP in 2011 launched a process to advance negotiations to meet

the mandate to adopt

“a protocol, another legal instrument or an agreed outcome with legal force under the Convention

applicable to all parties,” which is to come into force in 2020.

New Climate Change Agreement is to be adopted in Paris at COP 21/CMP 11

Key issues for Africa @ COP 21 in Paris new Climate Change Agreement (1)

• Be in accordance with Principles and provisions of Convention, in particular the Principles of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities (CBDR) and equity.

• Enhance the implementation of the Convention and its annexes, to be consistent with science and equity.

• Enhance a multilateral rules-based system in a balanced and ambitious manner.

Key issues for Africa @ COP 21 in Paris new Climate Change Agreement (2)

• Ensure balance in content and legality of mitigation and adaptation activities, Means of Implementation.

• Adaptation and mitigation should be given equal prominence.

• Climate Finance -adequate funding for developing countries for adaptation and mitigation measures, including period 2015–2020.

Key issues for Africa @ COP 21 in Paris new Climate Change Agreement (3)

• Affordable Technology Development and Transfer.

• Capacity Building to ensure coherence and coordination following adoption of new Agreement in Paris in December 2015, and in period beyond 2020, when new agreement takes effect.

• Transparency - building trust in multilateral system and Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) of emissions and finance.

Key issues for Africa @ COP 21 in Paris new Climate Change Agreement (4)

• Lima-Paris Action Agenda (LPAA) and Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) on the various climate actions of different regions and countries on the various actions to be presented at the Paris COP in December 2015.

Status of Negotiations

Status of Negotiations

• Key MessagesADP 2-11 convened throughout last week in spin-off

groups to advance negotiations on specific sections in the agreement and decision text, and in an open-ended contact group to take stock of progress and discuss issues not addressed in spin-off groups.

Parties agreed to forward the revised non-paper, that captured the work undertaken by parties at ADP 2-11, for further negotiations at COP 21

nder the ADP. Parties also requested that the Secretariat prepare a technical paper, which would identify closely related paragraphs and duplications within sections, and possible areas for streamlining, without any changes to the content of the text.

Africa’s Engagement @COP 21 / CMP 11

• Date: 30 Nov – 11 Dec 2015.• Venue: Le Bourget, Paris, France.• Commences with Regional Group meetings:

African Group convening: 25 – 26 Nov 2015.• Set up a Preparatory Committee with AUC,

AfDB, UNECA and NEPAD (NPCA) to have an African Pavilion in COP 21 / CMP 11 in Paris to:

Support Africa’s participation. An Africa Day side event – 8 December 2015

(jointly organized by 4 institutions and Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia).

African Pavilion @ COP 21 / CMP 11• Jointly organized by 4 institutions -

established 4 Sub-Committees: Technical. Africa Day side event. Communication and Resource Mobilization)

• Mobilizing 1.5 million Euro - World Bank, French Government, UNDP, Civil Society,, Benin Republic etc.

Conclusions• Urge all African States and Friends of

Africa to participate at COP 21• Champion the interests of mother Africa

with one voice that is heard loud and clear in the spirit of our African Agenda 2063 – The Africa we want.

Thank You!Merci Beaucoup!

Obrigada!Shukuran!

Asante sana!