The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has announced that its executive secretary, Patricia Espinosa, will grace the 9th Africa Carbon Forum (ACF), which is scheduled to hold from Wednesday, June 28 to Friday, June 30, 2017 in Cotonou, Benin Republic.
The Palais Des Congrès, along the Boulevard de la Marina, Cotonou, is venue of the event
The UN body, which made the disclosure in a tweet on Sunday, June 25, 2017, is one of the several organisers of the much publicised event. Others include: the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), African Development Bank (AfDB), World Bank Group, UNEP DTU Partnership (formerly UNEP Risø Centre), International Emissions Trading Association (IETA), and Africa LEDS Partnership (AfLP).
According to the organisers, the 2017 ACF will focus on how engagement between State and non‐State actors can be further strengthened in the key sectors for Africa (energy, agriculture and human settlements), including the role of future carbon markets to achieve enhanced climate action, towards the goals of sustainable development.
Themed: “Collaborative climate action for sustainable development in Africa”, the event will cover:
Practical examples of policies, initiatives and actions in Africa;
Barriers and enabling measures for engaging climate action in key sectors;
Financial instruments and regulatory frameworks;
Advancing the implementation of climate action.
The forum will provide an opportunity and platform for African policymakers and practitioners to:
discuss the latest developments related to climate change policy, carbon markets and finance;
share knowledge on innovative solutions in the context of nationally determined contributions (NDCs) and other strategies; and,
explore possibilities for collaboration on regional and global climate change initiatives.
The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has predicted cloudy morning over the Central States on Saturday, June 24, 2017 with prospects of localised thunderstorms over Yola, Lafia, Abuja, Jos, Minna, Ilorin, Jalingo and Mambilla Plateau.
Heavy rainfall in Lagos
NiMet’s Weather Outlook by its Central Forecast Office on Friday, June 23 in Abuja also predicted prospects of localised thunderstorms over Abuja, Jos, Lafia and its environs during the afternoon and evening hours.
It also predicted cloudy morning over the region on Sunday, June 25 with prospects of localised thunderstorms over Minna and Ilorin and chances of localised thunderstorms during the afternoon and evening hours.
NiMet added that the central region would have day and night temperatures 26 to 32 and 17 to 27 degrees Celsius respectively.
The agency said the South Eastern States would experience cloudy morning on Saturday with chances of localised thunderstorms over Owerri, Umuahia, Awka, Abakaliki and Abakiliki in the afternoon and evening hours.
It added that Sunday would witness cloudy morning with chances of localised thunderstorms over Umuahia, Enugu, Awka and its environs in the afternoon and evening hours.
According to NiMet, south eastern states will have day and night temperatures of 30 to 33 and 22 to 24 degrees Celsius respectively.
NiMet predicted: “South Western region is expected to be cloudy on Saturday morning with chances of localised thunderstorms over Akure, Ibadan, Ado-Ekiti, Abeokuta, Shaki and its environs in the afternoon and evening hours.
“Cloudy conditions are expected on Sunday morning with chances of localised thunderstorms over places like Akure, Ado-Ekiti, Ibadan, Oshogbo and its environs in the afternoon and evening hours.
“Day and Night temperature values are expected to be in the range of 28 to 32 and 20 to 25 degrees Celsius respectively.”
NiMet further predicted that South-South region would experience prospects of localised rains over Port Harcourt, Yenagoa, Benin, Calabar, Lagos and Warri Saturday and Sunday mornings.
It also predicted prospects localised thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening periods throughout the forecast period with day and night temperatures of 29 to 33 and 21 to 24 degrees Celsius respectively.
According to NiMet, Northern States will experience localised thunderstorm on Saturday morning with cloudy conditions and prospects of isolated thunderstorms over Sokoto, Yelwa, Dutse and Kano during the afternoon and evening hours.
It stated: “Cloudy conditions will characterise the sky on Sunday morning with chances of localised thunderstorms over Sokoto, Yelwa, Dutse, Kano and Gusau.
“Later in the day, the entire region is expected to remain cloudy with day and night temperatures of 30 to 34 and 20 to 26 degrees Celsius respectively.
“There are prospects of localised thunderstorms occurrence in most cities across the country especially in the afternoon and evening hours in the next 48 hours.”
In the past couple of days, three countries ratified the Minamata Convention, even as indications emerged that the entry of the global treaty into force will be commemorated next week.
The City of Minamata in Japan
On Thursday, June 22, 2017, Thailand became the latest nation to endorse the mercury accord when it deposited its instrument of ratification, thereby becoming the Convention’s 66th future Party.
Previously, Iran and Estonia had ratified the Convention, which has already entered into force, thanks to the landmark rash of ratifications on Thursday, May 18, 2017 that triggered the development, having garnered the required 50 ratifications.
On that day, the EU and seven of its member States – Bulgaria, Denmark, Hungary, Malta, the Netherlands, Romania and Sweden – deposited their instruments of ratification at the UN Headquarters in New York, bringing to 51 that day the number of future Parties.
As a result, on August 16 2017, the Convention, which aims at protecting human health and the environment from anthropogenic emissions and releases of mercury and mercury compounds, will become legally binding for all its Parties.
To commemorate the historic step, United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), Ministry of the Environment of Japan, Kumamoto Prefecture and Minamata City will on Saturday, July 1, 2017 hold “Celebrating Event for the Minamata Convention on Mercury – Voice from Minamata towards the Entry into Force ” in Minamata City, Kumamoto, Japan.
The event includes the first part with the video letters from overseas and the declaration by the Junior High School students in Minamata City calling for the global attention. In the second part, H.E. Mr. Fernando Lugris, the Chair of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Mercury, will deliver a commemorative speech followed by the “Minamata Talk” lead by Mr. Hiroshi Nishida, Mayor of Minamata City, and other speakers.
The 1st Conference of the Parties to the Minamata Convention (COP1) will gather governments, intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations from around the world in Geneva from September 24 to 29, 2017.
The Minamata Convention on Mercury (“Minamata Convention”) is a new international environmental convention for global community to work collaboratively against mercury pollution. The Minamata Convention aims at achieving environmentally sound mercury management throughout its life cycle. The Convention was adopted at the diplomatic conferences held in Minamata City and Kumamoto City in October 2013.
The Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF) dedicated the year’s World Giraffe Day (observed on Wednesday, June 21, 2017) to saving Masai giraffe in Kenya and Tanzania.
Driven by habitat loss, civil unrest and illegal hunting, the global giraffe population has plummeted by up to 40% over the last 30 years, and the species has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List
Giraffe have recently been listed as Vulnerable to extinction on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Giraffe numbers in Africa are said to have plummeted by a staggering 40% over the last 30 years.
“We estimate today that there are only less than 100,000 giraffe remaining in all of Africa,” disclosed the organisation.
According to the GCF, some populations have been harder hit than others and Masai giraffe seem to be taking the brunt of it. It adds that, as one of the most populous giraffe populations in Africa, there are only 32,000 Masai giraffe remaining in southern Kenya and Tanzania.
“Their number has dropped by more than half in the last 30 years. And this trend continues.
Masai giraffe are under threat and you can help us make a difference.”
The GCF adds: “Masai giraffe are facing a wide range of threats, but the biggest by far is the rapid expansion of human populations, settlements and associated habitat loss throughout East Africa. There is simply less and less space remaining for wild animals – including giraffe. It is time to act now! And we can’t do this in isolation. GCF is working closely with local and regional partners to ensure high priority for giraffe on national and regional conservation agendas.
“Together we can make a difference and secure a future for giraffe in Africa. For World Giraffe Day 2017, GCF is partnering with the Kenya-Tanzania Borderland Conservation Initiative and its partners, as well as the Kenya Wildlife Service, focussing on community-based conservation of Masai giraffe.”
Initiated by the GCF to celebrate the longest-necked animal on the longest day or night of the year – June 21 – every year, the World Giraffe Day is regarded as an annual event to raise support, create awareness and shed light on the challenges giraffe face in the wild.
It is believed that there are only 100,000 giraffe remaining in the wild.
Zoos, schools, NGOs, governments, institutions, companies and conservation organisations around the world host events on June 21 every year to raise awareness and support for giraffe in the wild.
Over the last years the Nigerian economy has been in doldrums, leaving behind tales of inflation, unemployment, poverty and the likes. To stem the ugly tide and return the country on the part of economic prosperity, the administration of President Mohammadu Buhari launched the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP).
Cross section of participants during the seminar
The strategic importance of the Plan to the country in its drive to exit recession came to the fore at the Federal University Ndufu-Alike Ikwo (FUNAI), Ebonyi State, on Thursday, June 22, 2017 during a daylong seminar, where eminent scholars, economists, policy makers, government officials and the citizenry converged to take an in-depth sectorial analysis of the plan and determine if it has the capacity to take the country out of the woods and put it back on the right economic trajectory. It is said to be the first time in any Nigerian university that the plan was subjected to such robust sectorial review by critical stakeholders.
Welcoming the participants to the event, the Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Chinedum Nwajiuba, stated that the seminar was part of the university’s contribution to the development of the country, adding that experts were invited to do a diagnostic review of the plan. He also noted that the seminar would help in putting the plan in the public domain and setting policy agenda for the governments in different sectors of the economy even as it would also provide a feedback mechanism to enable policy makers feel the pulse of the citizenry concerning the plan.
Decrying the decay in the Nigerian university system, Professor Nwajiuba urged academics to show the way by operating at a level the country would be proud of, adding that “there is so much to be done.” He further challenged academics to shun mediocrity and breast up to their calling to be able to provide solutions to the numerous problems confronting the nation and also compete globally.
Speaking on the topic: “Change and Economic Recovery and Growth Plan”, the Director General of West African Institute of Financial and Economic Management (WAIFEM), Prof. Akpan Hogan Ekpo, noted that though the plan is laudable, yet there abound some grey areas that government needs to sort out if it is to be a success, adding that a period of 4 years which the plan was meant to last is also not long enough to tackle many challenges facing the nation.
He maintained that even the political class and most Nigerians were yet to understand the kind of change the government is advocating; stressing that Nigerians should decide to do things differently if the envisaged change is to happen. He equally advised the Nigerian political elite to emulate the success story of Lee Kuan Yun Singapore who at a point decided that enough was enough and that it was time to change their country for good.
The former Vice Chancellor of University of Uyo explained that recession was a permanent feature of a market-driven economy, adding that government has a crucial role to play in economic recovery no matter what the organized private sector (OPS) does.
“Government has to spend not only on capital projects but also on current and structural changes.”
He added: “For the nation’s economy to jump-start, government should go beyond providing the enabling environment to actually playing significant role through investment.”
The foremost economist further advised the Federal Government to initiate a comprehensive perspective plan that could last at least for 20 years in other to engineer sustainable economic growth and inclusive development in the country.
In his presentation on “Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security through the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan”, Prof. Ajuluchukwu Obi of the University of Fort Hare, South Africa, noted that the country cannot achieve agricultural transformation without structural transformation.
He added that until government tackles the structural challenges facing the nation the present tempo on agriculture cannot be sustained, noting that most farmers in the country are still being hampered by structural and administrative lags with little or no technical support from government.
The Professor of Agricultural Economics warned that if nothing concrete is done about revamping the Agriculture sector that the teeming population of the country would be in danger of serious hunger and abject poverty, stating that only 20% of the Nigerian population is controlling the economy while the remaining 80% is merely eking out a living.
Discussing the topic: “Financing the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan”, the Ebonyi State Commissioner for Finance and Economic Development, Dr. Dennis Ekumankama, warned the Federal Government not to allow the plan to end up in shelves, wondering how government is going to raise the enormous money required for its implementation now that the revenue from crude oil has been depleted.
He therefore advised that government should rather pursue its economic diversification policy and also take another look at the report of the 2014 National Conference and implement its recommendations.
From the papers presented by the resource persons and its robust discussion by the participants, the Federal Government still has a lot of work to do especially in making the Nigerian public buy into the plan and ensuring that resources are made available for its holistic implementation.
One hundred and forty mayors of the world’s largest cities have expressed their commitment implement the Paris Climate Change Agreement at a meeting in Montréal, Canada, and pledged city leadership on climate action.
Mayors at the Montréal meeting
Almost 60 percent of the world’s population already lives in urban regions, and this proportion is constantly increasing. The lion’s share of heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions is produced in the world’s cities, as is the bulk economic activity, so cities are uniquely positioned to grasp the economic opportunities of the transformation to low carbon and resilience.
At the 12th Metropolis World Congress and the 2017 General Assembly of the International Association of Francophone Mayors (AIMF), the mayors issued a “Montréal Declaration”, in which they say:
“We reaffirm our role and our determination to ensure the effective implementation of the Paris Agreement on climate change as well as the Declaration of the Climate Summit for Local Elected Officials, regardless the international political context, as well as our determination to mobilise a broad coalition of stakeholders from all milieus to ensure the success of this historic agreement, vital to the future of our planet and humanity.”
On the conclusion of the meeting, Montréal Mayor and Metropolis President, Denis Coderre, said: “The mayors and city representatives from the four corners of the planet are more than ever determined to exercise strong leadership and to work towards solving global problems that affect city dwellers and indeed the entire global population. The Montréal Declaration confirms the commitment of cities to implement the Paris Agreement, as well as the Declaration of the Climate Summit for Local Leaders, regardless of the international political context,” said Montréal Mayor and Metropolis Presiden, Denis Coderre.
The document also highlights the determination of its signatories to achieve the New Urban Agenda, adopted by the United Nations in 2016, and to meet all the targets of the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations.
Under the theme “Global Challenges: Major Cities in Action”, the Congress focused on topics ranging from sustainable development, inclusion, living together, economic development, smart cities, mobility and urban planning, to leadership and city governance.
In addition to the cities and urban regions that are members of Metropolis and the AIMF, major international networks such as United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, and the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) add their voice to the Montréal Declaration.
“The Montréal Declaration aspires to be the concrete manifestation of the commitment of cities to play a central role in terms of local and global issues. In this document, local governments formally commit to address with determination some of the most pressing challenges of our time, particularly regarding the climate, the fight against pollution and for air quality, as well as a more equitable representation of women in governance positions,” said the Mayor of Paris, AIMF President and C40 President, Anne Hidalgo.
The disbursement of Green Climate Fund (GCF) financing is picking up pace, following a major focus of the Fund this year on implementing approved projects.
Howard Bamsey, Executive Director of the Green Climate Fund (GCF)
In GCF’s most recent disbursement of climate finance, in early June, it transferred the first $1 million tranche of an approved $6.2 million grant to help Peru’s indigenous communities manage wetlands to avoid deforestation and the release of peatland emissions.
This followed the start of another transfer of funds to XacBank in Mongolia at the end of May. The $20 million private sector project is helping drive investment by medium and small enterprises in Mongolia’s fledgling low-carbon energy sector.
GCF says it is preparing further disbursements in coming months to get funds flowing to the 43 projects it has already approved. To achieve this aim, GCF is working closely with Accredited Entities, which propose and carry out funding proposals, to expedite the transfer of $2.2 billion in funds already allocated to them.
Progress is evident in the large number of Funded Activity Agreements (FAAs) signed with Accredited Entities since the end of 2016. These legal agreements, currently numbering 18, open the way for GCF’s transfer of funds.
The 16 FAAs signed during the past six months in chronological order are the following:
Peru – Profonanpe (FP001) – “Building the resilience of wetlands in the province of Datem del Marañón” – FAA signed on December 15, 2016
Namibia – EIF (PF023) – “Climate Resilient Agriculture in three of the vulnerable extreme northern crop-growing regions (CRAVE)” – FAA signed on December 15, 2016
Maldives – UNDP (FP007) – “Support of vulnerable communities in Maldives to manage climate change induced water shortages” – FAA signed on March 3, 2017
Morocco – ADA (FP022) – “Development of Argan orchards in degraded environment” – FAA signed on March 17, 2017
Namibia – EIF (FP024) – “Empower to adapt: creating climate-change resilient livelihoods through community-based natural resource management in Namibia (CBNRM)” – FAA signed on April 5, 2017
Malawi – UNDP (FP002) – “Scaling-up the use of modernised climate information and Early warning systems in Malawi”- FAA signed on May 10, 2017
Pakistan – UNDP (FP018) – “Scaling-up of Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) risk reduction in Northern Pakistan” – FAA signed on May 19, 2017
Ecuador – UNDP (FP019) – “Priming financial and land use planning instruments to reduce emissions from deforestations” – FAA signed on May 19, 2017
Tuvalu – UNDP (FP015) – “Tuvalu coastal adaptation project TCAP” – FAA signed on May 31, 2017
Armenia – UNDP (FP010) – “De-risking and scaling up investment in energy efficient building retrofits” – FAA signed on June 7, 2017
Sri Lanka – UNDP (FP016) – “Strengthening the resilience of smallholder farmers in the Dry Zone to climate variability and extreme events through an integrated approach to water management” – June 7, 2017
The Gambia – UNEP (FP011) – “Large-scale ecosystem-based adaptation in The Gambia: developing a climate-resilient, natural resource-based economy” – FAA signed on June 8, 2017
Vietnam – UNDP (FP013) – “Improving the resilience of vulnerable coastal communities to climate change related impacts in VietNam” – FAA signed on June 8, 2017
Mauritius – UNDP (FP033) – “Accelerating the transformational shift to a low-carbon economy in the Republic of Mauritius” – FAA signed on June 8, 2017
Uganda – UNDP (FP034) – “Building resilient communities, wetland ecosystems and associated catchments in Uganda” – FAA signed on June 8, 2017
Samoa – UNDP (FP037) – “Integrated flood management to enhance climate resilience of the Vaisigano River catchment in Samoa” – FAA signed on June 9, 2017.
With hundreds of anxious poor, urban residents – men, women, and children – from waterfronts across Lagos State waiting inside and outside the High Court courtroom, Honourable Justice Onigbanjo on Wednesday, June 21, 2017 delivered his judgment.
Waterfront residents celebrate their victory at the Lagos High Court. Photo credit: Omoregie Osakpolor
Relying on the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules, 2009, his Lordship said that he found evictions without adequate notice and resettlement to be cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment (CIDT) in violation of the right to dignity enshrined in Section 34 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Article 5 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
The court also ordered the Lagos State Government to immediately consult and resettle displaced residents, even as his Lordship issued a permanent injunction restraining further evictions without consultation and resettlement of affected persons.
Apart from the resident who were immediately filled with joy, civil society groups and resident organisations have likewise been celebrating what seems like a landmark judgement.
The Justice & Empowerment Initiatives – Nigeria (JEI) and the Nigerian Slum / Informal Settlement Federation (Federation) jointly released a statement on the judgment, which arose from a fundamental rights enforcement case brought in October 2016 after the Lagos State Government stated its intention to demolish all waterfront communities.
The threat to the Lagos waterfronts began when Governor Akinwunmi Ambode announced on October 9, 2016 government’s intention to “start demolishing all shanties on waterfronts across the state within seven days,” citing recent kidnapping incidents as the purported justification.
Based on mapping and profiling done by the Federation, it was discovered that no fewer than 40 communities that fell under the threat and an estimated 300,000 residents were at risk of imminent eviction.
Accordingly, more than 20 member communities of the Federation joined together to write to Governor Ambode, calling for retraction of the threat and requesting for dialogue to explore alternatives to eviction. Two peaceful protests brought thousands of waterfront residents to the gates of the Governor’s office and the State House of Assembly, but to no avail.
To the contrary, the Lagos State Government proceeded to demolish Ilubirin on October 15, 2016. Finally, the threatened waterfronts had no option but to proceed to court to enforce their fundamental rights.
On November 7, 2016, Honourable Justice Onigbanjo granted a temporary injunction restraining the Lagos State Government and the Nigerian Police Force from proceeding with any demolition of the waterfronts or eviction of their inhabitants. Despite this order, Otodo Gbame community – an ancestral Egun fishing settlement in Lekki – was demolished and over 30,000 residents forcibly evicted on November 9-10, 2016 by arson and a bulldozer working in the dead of night.
On January 26, 2017, Honourable Justice Onigbanjo issued an interim ruling holding that these evictions were in violation of the residents’ right to dignity and ordered the Respondents to enter into mediation with the residents to explore alternatives to eviction. The court-ordered mediation failed, however, when the Lagos State Government unilaterally pulled out of the process after starting to evict the remaining 5,000 residents of Otodo Gbame on March 17-21, 2017.
On April 9, 2017, a violent demolition completely displaced all remaining residents of Otodo Gbame. Arriving without notice around 5am, persons suspected to be members of the Government’s Task Force chased residents from their beds and into boats on the Lagos Lagoon using live bullets and teargas, while systematically setting their houses on fire. At least five evictees were reportedly shot, including 20-year-old Daniel Aya, who died from a gunshot to the neck.
The demolition of Otodo Gbame has been broadly condemned as a forced eviction and a gross violation of human rights, including by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Adequate Shelter, Amnesty International, the Norwegian Ambassador to Nigeria, and countless others. Evictions that use arson and take place during the night – such as what occurred at Otodo Gbame – are said to constitute violations of the United Nations Convention Against Torture, even more so when they are discriminatory, as they were used against an ethnic minority community in Lagos.
The final judgment delivered by Honourable Justice Onigbanjo is seen by observers as a huge step forward in the quest for justice for Otodo Gbame evictees and seems to bring relief to over 270,000 residents of other waterfront communities in Lagos that have been living under the threat of eviction.
According to the JEI, the judgment sets important precedent in Nigeria by finding that evictions without adequate notice and resettlement violate the right to dignity of the human person, seen as an absolute right, which has no exceptions in the Nigerian Constitution or in well-established international human rights law.
“As Nigerians across Lagos, the country, and the world celebrate this landmark judgment, we call on the Lagos State Government to demonstrate a commitment to the rule of law and democracy by swiftly commencing consultation with Otodo Gbame evictees to remedy their homelessness,” the JEI declared in the statement, adding:
“Knowing that wholesale resettlement is costly, we also call on the Lagos State Government to enter into dialogue with residents of other waterfront communities to plan for in situ upgrading that can simultaneously improve the quality of life of residents and address government concerns, embracing international best practice and avoiding unnecessary and costly evictions.”
Participants of the Interfaith Rainforest Initiative held on Wednesday June 21, 2017 in Oslo, Norway fear that rainforests are at grave risk. In a statement addressed to Leaders in Government and Business, to Leaders and Followers of Spiritual and Religious Traditions, and to the wider Human Family, the faith leaders say they will act together for the sake of the rainforests and the peoples who live in them, and for the future of the planet. The statement reads:
Metropolitan Emmanuel, Vice president of the Conference of European Churches, speaking during the Interfaith Rainforest Initiative in Oslo, Norway
The Earth’s rainforests are an irreplaceable gift.
They support boundless biodiversity, a balanced climate, and the cultures and communities of Indigenous Peoples who live in them. They generate cooling air and rains that water the Earth. They are spectacular, and vital to all life.
And they are at grave risk.
We, people of many faiths and spiritualities, gathered in Oslo to hear the cry of Earth’s rainforests, their flora and fauna, and the people who live in them. We are Indigenous, Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, and Daoist, joined by scientists who share with us, and open for us, a deeper appreciation of the miracle of the forests. We are from 21 countries – from Amazonia, the forests of Indonesia, the Congo Basin, Meso-America and South and Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands, and from the US, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, South Africa, and China. While from many places, we recognise that we are one human family, that we share one Earth.
These glorious forests make our lives possible. They provide clean air and abundant water. They store carbon and stabilise the climate, literally around the globe. They provide homes, food, medicines, and livelihoods for hundreds of millions of people. They are dependent on the health and well-being of their indigenous and forest-dwelling peoples, just as these peoples, and all the rest of us, depend on the forests. We are in this together – humanity and forests, people and planet. If forests thrive, we will thrive. Without forests, we all perish.
During our time together, we spoke frankly. We recognised that unrestrained consumption, lifestyles of the Global North, and irresponsible financial systems, devastate the rainforests’ biosphere and ethno-sphere. We listened to accounts of the persecution and murder of Indigenous Peoples and others who protect the forests. We learned about governments unwilling to pass or enforce laws needed to ensure rainforests’ future and the rights and traditions of those who continue to be their guardians.
These realities are haunting. This destruction is wrong. As we formed a community, becoming one out of many, a resolve emerged among us.
We will not allow this to happen.
Together, we affirm the gift of life, our reverence for our common home and for the miraculous manifestation that rainforests embody. We affirm that we are all caretakers of Earth’s rainforests, just as the forests care for us. We embrace the responsibility for ongoing action which that entails.
We commit to form an international, multi-faith rainforest alliance, devoted to the care of these forests and the people who protect and live in them.
We pledge to rally our spiritual and religious communities to act.
We will train our leaders and educate our followers about the urgent need to protect rainforests, sharing the insights of traditional knowledge and science in the service of truth, knowing that without protecting, restoring, and sustainably managing forests, we cannot save Earth from the ravages of climate change.
We will advocate for the restoration of rainforests and the rights of Indigenous Peoples, sharing with leaders in government and business that protecting forests is a moral duty and that failing to do so is an offense against life itself. We will support indigenous and forest peoples to assert and secure their rights, including their free, prior, and informed consent to development on their territories. We will advocate for increased access to finance for the ongoing protection of rainforests. We will work for an end to the criminalisation of forest protectors and for their safety.
We will change our own lifestyles, including our diets and consumption patterns, learning to live in harmony with the rainforests.
Finally, we pledge to continue to work together, to strengthen our resolve, and to act boldly in the months and years to come. We invite other people of faith and of diverse spiritualties to join us.
A spirit of compassion and truth has been with us as we have met. This spirit awakens hope. It calls to us.
We have listened together and learned together. In this statement we are speaking together. Now, we will act together. For the sake of the rainforests and the peoples who live in them, and for the future of the planet, we commit to respond.
The dream of many Nigerians across all strata of the economy to own their own homes is at the verge of becoming a reality.
Godwin Emefiele, Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)
This is even as, concerned by the nation’s housing deficit due to inadequate access to housing finance, the Nigeria Housing Finance Programme (NHFP), implemented by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has launched what it christened “My Own Home” Scheme.
This is in an effort to increase access to housing finance for home ownership in the country.
Speaking at the formal launch of the housing scheme/media workshop for journalists, the Deputy Director, other Financial Institutions Supervision (OFIS), CBN, and Director, National Housing Fund Programme (NHFP), Adesemoye Adedeji, disclosed that the Scheme is aimed atincreasing easy access to home ownership in the country.
The workshop was titled: “Accessing Housing Finance in Nigeria”.
He noted that the initiative was in collaboration with the Federal Government, World Bank and Mortgage Banks Association of Nigeria (MBAN) with other relevant stakeholders in order to address, once and for all, the nagging issue of housing finance.
According to him, nine Microfinance Banks (MFBs) will be participating in the scheme funded with $300 million.
He disclosed that $25 million will be the capitalised mortgage guarantee and insurance and $15 million for the pilot housing microfinance.
Adedeji explained that $10 million will be used as the technical assistance in doing the capacity building programmes for the industry; operators, people in the ministry of finance, power, works and housing, CBN, mortgage originators as well as to set up a communication system to which it would operate.
Speaking at the formal media launch the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, said that the scheme would redraw housing finance activities in Nigeria.
Represented by Mrs Tokumbo Martins, Deputy Director, other financial institutions supervision, he explained that the NHFP monies would be domiciled with CBN for proper monitoring.
The apex bank governor explained that the CBN was relating with major stakeholders and mortgages on how best to ensure that the programme succeeds.
The media workshop and campaign launch was held to familiarise the media with steps taken by stakeholders in the housing finance sector to guarantee access to increased housing finance in Nigeria.
It was also aimed at educating the media on Mortgage Literacy, Housing Micro-Finance and consumer protection and introduce the “My Own Home” scheme brand to the Nigerian populace.
