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Africa asked to lessen dependency on external health funding

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Africa asked to lessen dependency on external health funding

The 4th African Medicines Regulators Conference jointly organised by the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), African Union and World Health Organisation (WHO) came to an end on Friday, December 4 with a call on African nations to curb their dependency on foreign funding for health. It held for three days in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.

Professor Aggrey Ambali, head and advisor of NEPAD Science, Technology and Innovation Hub Photo credit: nepad.org
Professor Aggrey Ambali, head and advisor of NEPAD Science, Technology and Innovation Hub Photo credit: nepad.org

The meeting sought to discuss ways of ensuring that there is support for countries to accelerate the pace of establishing functional medicines regulatory agencies at national, regional and continental levels and strengthening the capacities of existing in the region.

Throughout the three days, it was evident that the workshop set out to create a platform to review progress made in the implementation of the five-year action plan (2014-2018).

The review process was meant to strengthen the capacity for regulation of medical products in the Region and propose solutions for tackling challenges faced by countries.

In his opening address, Professor Aggrey Ambali, head and advisor of NEPAD Science, Technology and Innovation Hub, stressed the need for Africa to reduce dependency on external funding for health considering that the continent bears 25% of the global burden of disease.

He, however, said while less than two percent of the world’s medicines are produced in the continent, importing the medicines and commodities that people desperately need is unsustainable.

“Africa must invest in itself and the health of its people. It is the right thing to do, and it will deliver real economic and social returns.

“It would be also important to fast-track reforms in regulation of medical products and technologies in the continent by scaling AMRH across the continent through regional economic communities and regional organisations,” said Prof Ambali.

He underlined the need to expand the scope of African Medicines Regulatory and Harmonisation (AMRH) to cover other regulatory functions and products.

“NMRAs involvement in the elaboration of regional and continental medicines agencies – the African Medicine Agency. NMRAs utilisation of regional centers of regulatory excellence. Advocacy for domestication of the AU Model Law on Medical Products Regulation which will assist in strengthening NMRA governance in Africa, ensure effective regulation of medical products and technologies,” he said.

While discussions are focused on regulation and establishing regulatory bodies, the issue of advocacy for sustainable NMRA financing models and how NMRAs fund their participation to African Medicines Regulators Conferences remained a critical issue.

Other topical matters that aroise during the meeting include how to establish a robust monitoring and evaluation framework to monitor progress and assess impact of medicines regulation in promoting and protecting public health and its contribution to economic growth.

“We need strong NMRAs in Africa that can attain the status of Stringent Regulatory Authorities (SRA) that we currently see in Europe and US,” said professor Ambali.

But Dr Jane Byaruhanga from the African Union alluded to the fact that Africa’s leadership remains concerned about a continued disproportionate disease burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases and its negative impact on the continent.

She noted sub optimal investments in the health care delivery system continues to hamper Africa’s progress not only in ripping the economic potential of a healthy human capital but also affected other sectors of the already fragile economies of various countries.

“The proliferation of sub-standard, spurious, falsely labelled, falsified, counterfeit medical products in our market further constitutes a public health emergency that has also severely impacted on the competitiveness of the local pharmaceutical industry,” she said.

Byaruhanga, therefore, said the forum would go a long way in facilitating and ensuring that continental frameworks and institutions established and endorsed by the African Union leadership are implemented at national, regional and continental levels.

“These frameworks include the pharmaceutical manufacturing plan within which the African Medicines Regulatory Hamornisation Programme was established and the African Medicines Agency, the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, the African Union Model Law on Medical Product Regulation which was recently endorsed by the African Union Specialised Technical Committee on Legal and Justice Affairs,” she said

Initially, the framework and institutions are intended to create the enabling legal and regulatory environment for the pharmaceutical sector development, and improve access to quality essential medicines promote and protect public health of our citizens.

Meanwhile, the AU and NEPAD have teamed up on how best to harness the global momentum that has been created towards addressing the issue of counterfeit medicines and willingness to support related programme in Africa while acknowledging the effort of regional economic communities.

By George Mhango

Fresh World Bank funding for water in Africa, India

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Fresh World Bank funding for water in Africa, India

The World Bank Group has announced a significant boost in funding for water programmes Kenya, the Niger River Basin, Morocco and India to help tackle inherent challenges.

World Bank Group Vice President for Sustainable Development, Laura Tuck. Photo credit: worldbank.org
World Bank Group Vice President for Sustainable Development, Laura Tuck. Photo credit: worldbank.org

The move came as World Bank Group Vice President for Sustainable Development, Laura Tuck, warned that, in just 35 years, 40 percent of the global population will be living in water scarce countries. That’s compared to 28 percent today.

Speaking at the climate talks, COP21 in Paris, Tuck said overall water stress was increasing, because of climate change combined with population growth.

“Water scarcity and variability pose significant risks to all economic activities, including food and energy production, manufacturing and infrastructure development,” Tuck said. “Poor water management can exacerbate the effects of climate change on economic growth, but if water is managed well it can go a long way to neutralizing the negative impacts.”

A key initiative announced by the Bank Group on Friday was a $500 million investment to support India’s $1 billion programme to improve management of its groundwater. India is the world’s largest consumer of groundwater. The funding, subject to approval from the Bank’s board of Executive Directors, will help with institutional reforms, build up capacity and develop infrastructure.

“Water is so fundamental to life and to economic development, and it’s vital we tackle these issues particularly in the developing world, where water stress is already exacting a price on people and economies,” said Junaid Ahmad, Senior Director for Water, World Bank Group.

In Mombasa, the coastal region of Kenya, water demands largely exceed supply, with climate variability, droughts and floods taking its toll on poor people. The World Bank Group is funding a significant portion of the cost of a $500 million government program to boost water security and build climate resilience.

In the Niger Basin, nine countries have committed to a $3.1 billion climate resilience investment plan over 10 years to build resilience. The first phase will cost $610 million and will include financing from the Bank’s fund for the poorest countries, IDA, the International Development Association.

In Morocco, which is susceptible to drought, the World Bank Group is supporting the government’s National Irrigation Saving Program, with a new $150 million commitment, which builds on $500 million of prior commitments. It will help poor and vulnerable farmers with more efficient irrigation technologies so they can cope with increasingly less available water and greater variability in water supplies.

Diana Omondi Makimario

Africa raises red flag on possible Paris outcome

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Africa raises red flag on possible Paris outcome

Leading members of the African Group of Negotiators and civil society leaders at the ongoing Paris climate talks have expressed their dissatisfaction with the pace of the negotiations so far.

Prof Seth Osafo, Lead Negotiator with African Group of Negotiators (AGN). Photo credit: climatereporters.com
Prof Seth Osafo, Lead Negotiator with African Group of Negotiators (AGN). Photo credit: climatereporters.com

At an event on the sidelines of the UNFCCC COP 21 in Paris under the theme “Paris Outcome and Africa’s Adaptation Need,” Prof Seth Osafo, Lead Negotiator with African Group of Negotiators (AGN), linked current hurdles with efforts to get countries that were not parties to the Kyoto Protocol to commit to a new agreement.

He ruled out the possibility of creating new legal instruments such as a framework or an amendment and underscored that Parties in Paris are talking only about an agreement, and according to him, “an agreement might contain anything, or nothing at all.”

“While the principles of historical responsibility, common but differentiated responsibilities (CBDR) and equity are in fact already accepted in the convention, the issue of differentiation as contained in Article 3 of the UNFCCC is still being pushed aside,” he added.

Wondering why the 50-page text is filled with so many brackets and options that   are likely ungrammatical,” Mithika Mwenda of the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) expressed African civil society’s doubt on the possibility of getting a legally binding climate agreement out of Paris with less than 10 days to negotiate.

“This COP can still regain African confidence if the systematic roadblocks mounted by the US and Norway are effectively removed this week so we can progress towards an equitable, ambitious agreement that addresses Africa’s concerns,” Mithika said.

Tosi Mpanu-Mpanu, former Chair, AGN
Tosi Mpanu-Mpanu, former Chair, AGN

Tosi Mpanu-Mpanu, former Chair, AGN, said the issue of differentiation is a red line for the AGN. According to science, developed countries hold historical responsibility for climate change.

Referring to the Kyoto Protocol, he said that “Annex II countries owe a “climate debt” to developing countries and there is an urgent need for clarity about the climate finance landscape post-2020 and that the proposed US$100 billion of climate finance which is merely a floor for financing.

Expressing the solidarity of Asian civil society groups with Africa, Lidy Nacpil, Regional Coordinator, Jubilee South, commended Africa’s leadership so far and revealed that many in Asia are relying on AGN leadership at the UNFCCC.

She however lamented that “wealthy, industrialised countries’ negotiating strategy of “weakening developing countries by dividing them must be stopped.”

Developing countries have the moral authority, she said, to “call rich governments to account for delivering pledges that are not even half of their fair share.”

Quoting the report “A CSO Equity Review of INDCs,” Nacpil urged negotiators to insist on a scaling up of financing targets and not call it “assistance as industrialized countries are backtracking on their commitments.”

By Atayi Babs

Paris pledges €1 million to Green Climate Fund

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Paris pledges €1 million to Green Climate Fund

The Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, on Thursday announced a pledge of EUR 1 million ($1.05 million) to the Green Climate Fund. The pledge was announced during a meeting between Mayor Hidalgo and Héla Cheikhrouhou, the Fund’s Executive Director, at the Paris Hôtel de Ville (City Hall). Paris is currently hosting the UNFCCC climate conference (COP 21).

Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo. Photo credit: tempsreel.nouvelobs.com
Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo. Photo credit: tempsreel.nouvelobs.com

Over 40 countries have pledged contributions to the Fund, which commenced its initial resource mobilisation in 2014 and has so far raised about $10 billion equivalent, of which close to 60% has already been converted into signed agreements.

Ms. Cheikhrouhou welcomed the pledge, stating that “it is a very strong signal that can be emulated by other cities and regions.” Mayor Hidalgo’s leadership, continued Ms. Cheikhrouhou, “could have a ripple effect” in encouraging other cities and regions to support the Fund.

Urging other cities to follow suit in pledging to the Fund, Mayor Hidalgo stressed the need for climate action at both the local and global levels.

“Fighting against damaging climate change means putting in place ambitious domestic policies, but also providing the financial means to the most vulnerable countries so that they can protect their populations,” stated Mayor Hidalgo.

During the meeting with the Fund, Mayor Hidalgo explained that Paris was already active in North-South cooperation with other cities, including in Tunis, Kinshasa, and Brazzaville. Paris has a particular interest in developing the resilience of cities to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change.

Ms. Cheikhrouhou recalled that supporting sustainable cities is an investment priority for the Fund, both to improve their resilience and reduce their emissions.

The Fund approved its first eight projects at its Board meeting in Zambia last month, for a total GCF investment of $168 million.

GCF will build its investment profile over the coming years and is seeking ambitious projects from developing countries that will catalyse the transition to low-emission, climate-resilient development.

The Fund remains open for contributions during its first funding period (2015-2018), and accepts them on an ongoing basis.

Nations, groups launch construction alliance to curb climate change

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Nations, groups launch construction alliance to curb climate change

Eighteen countries (Austria, Brazil, Cameroon, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, Norway, Senegal, Singapore, Sweden, Tunisia, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United States of America) and over 60 organisations on Thursday at the UN climate conference (COP21) in Paris launched an unprecedented Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction to speed up and scale up the sector’s huge potential to reduce its emissions and literally build greater climate resilience into future cities and infrastructure.

Group photograph of world leaders at the conference. Photo credit: AFP
Group photograph of world leaders at the conference. Photo credit: AFP

The Alliance, with membership from countries to cities, NGOs, public and private organisations, networks of professionals, of cities, of companies as well as financing institutions, announced the initiative at the Lima to Paris Action Agenda Focus on Buildings, in Paris.

Among other members, the International Union of Architects (UIA) now represents, through national architecture organisations, close to 1,3 million architects worldwide; the World Green Building Council (WGBC) represents 27000 companies involved in green buildings business worldwide; the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) represents 180,000 building surveyors globally; the European Construction Industry Federation (FIEC) represents the construction sector employers through 33 national federations in 29 countries.

The buildings and construction sector is responsible for 30% of global CO2 emissions but it also has the potential to avoid about 3.2GtCO2 by 2050 through mainstreaming today’s available state-of-the-art policies and technologies. Reducing energy demand in the building sector is one of the most cost-effective strategies for achieving significant greenhouse gas reductions.

Real estate represents about 50% of global wealth. Creating this transformation requires investing around an additional US$220 billion by 2020 – an almost 50% increase on 2014 investment in energy efficient buildings – but less than 4% of the current total global annual investment in construction activity ($8.5 trillion/yr). Returns on this investment could be as high as 124% if investments in ambitious policy and technology actions are being made now.

As at today, 91 countries have included elements of commitments, national programs, or projects and plans relating to buildings in their Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs), the declarations by countries of what they are prepared to commit to.

With support and greater awareness, many more may realize the potential for the building sector to contribute to realizing national targets.  Yet, the building sector is very local and needs to align many different actors, which is a primary objective of the new alliance.

As cities keep on growing until more than 70% of the global population will call urban areas home, it becomes crucial for the sector to reduce its emissions and literally build in greater resilience against climate change.

Firm unveils CityInSight energy, emissions model for cities

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Firm unveils CityInSight energy, emissions model for cities

Canadian climate change and urban planning consultancy Sustainability Solutions Group (SSG) on Wednesday launched CityInSight: an open source energy, emissions and finances model for cities, at the COP21 in Paris.

Cities“Cities are demonstrating the will to take on energy and emissions challenges. CityInSight enables cities to rigorously explore the impact of policies and investments on the transition to a low or zero carbon future,” said Yuill Herbert, Director at SSG.

CityInSight is a sophisticated model with integrated spatially-explicit land-use and transportation components, and stocks-and-flows accounting. It analyses the impact of land-use and policy scenarios on energy, emissions and their associated financial and employment metrics.

It incorporates the Global GHG Protocol for Cities, a GHG accounting framework launched as the new global standard by the World Resources Institute, ICLEI, C40, UN Habitat and others at the UN Conference of the Parties in Lima in 2014. CityInSight has a web interface and many applications, helping cities to determine the best plans and actions to take on the path to sustainable, low carbon communities.

Along with their partner, whatif Technologies, an international urban and energy modeling company, SSG is thrilled to have the opportunity to showcase their work at COP21.

“It finally gives cities a sophisticated and reliable way of making energy and emissions based land use decisions,” says Jeremy Murphy, SSG Director, “enabling cities to develop sustainably, manage their energy use and emissions outputs, and create defensible economic development plans”.

“The power it has to bring knowledge about what’s going on for a city in interactive, visually-rich ways is impressive,” added SSG Director Julia Meyer-MacLeod.

Marcus Williams, modelling analyst at whatif Technologies, is excited about the launch of the model too. “I’m very excited about the launch of CityInSight. It offers cities and regions a unique scenarios-based platform for designing their future with respect to urban form, mobility, water, waste, energy and GHGs. Developing the web dashboard has been especially rewarding because we’re now able to surface key learnings from the underlying data-rich model through accessible (and beautiful) visualisations.”

Cities around the world are increasingly embracing ambitious energy and emissions reduction strategies. The transition to a low carbon and renewable energy future requires ambitious new city policies and major infrastructure investment decisions. The holistic and rigorous approach this model provides is needed to justify these efforts.

G77 sheds light on climate agreement’s financial arrangements

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G77 sheds light on climate agreement’s financial arrangements

South Africa’s Ambassador Nozipho Mxakato-Diseko, on behalf of the Group of 77 and China (to which Nigeria is aligned with), said on Wednesday in Paris at the ongoing COP21 UN climate change summit during the Open-Ended Consultation on Finance Process that the financial mechanism of the Convention must serve as the financial mechanism of the legal agreement

Ambassador Nozipho Mxakato-Diseko of South Africa. Photo credit: salo.org.za
Ambassador Nozipho Mxakato-Diseko of South Africa. Photo credit: salo.org.za

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the Group of 77 and China. We thank the COP Presidency for acting on our request to create an opportunity to have an informal discussion on finance as an issue that cuts across different streams of work in these negotiations. The G77 and China stresses that nothing under the UNFCCC can be achieved without the provision of means of implementation to enable developing countries to play their part to address climate change.

However, clarity on the complete picture of the financial arrangements for the enhanced implementation of the Convention keeps on eluding us. We believe that it will help the process if all matters related to finance, whether it is under the Convention, the Kyoto Protocol and under the ADP can be discussed in a comprehensive and coherent manner, regardless of where they will be reflected in the end, whether in the decision or the agreement.

As the G77 and China, we hope that by elevating the importance of the finance discussions under the different bodies, we can ensure that the outcome meets Parties’ expectations and delivers what is required. We hope, in particular that we can build greater coherence in the negotiations across the different streams dealing with finance.

The Group welcomes the most recent pledges to the Least Developing Country Fund (LDCF), which has remained under-resourced for a long time, despite repeated calls for contributions. Equally, adequate resources for the Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF) are urgently required. However, we caution against a piecemeal approach with regard to climate finance and once-off announcements. It is now time for all developed country Parties to convert their pledges to the GCF into contribution agreements, as well as scaling up commitments in the ADP process. We also need to find a solution for the Adaptation Fund, as well as the issue of its resourcing in the Paris agreement.

Under the Convention, developed countries are obliged to provide financial resources, including technology transfer and capacity building to all developing countries. This is a legal obligation under the Convention. It is neither “aid” nor “charity”, nor is it the same as development assistance. Finance support from developed countries relates to the impacts of historical emissions, which will only get worse with time for developing countries. The Group is therefore concerned about the introduction of new language, which has no basis in the Convention, such as “Parties in a position to do so” and “dynamism” that do not take into account responsibility for historical emissions.

The G77 and China is deeply concerned with the attempts to introduce economic conditions in the finance section currently under negotiation here in Paris. This approach is not consistent with the Convention, the mandate of the ADP and the sovereignty of Parties. Any attempt to replace the core obligation of developed countries to provide financial support to developing countries with a number of arbitrarily identified economic conditions is a violation of the rules-based multilateral process and threatens an outcome here in Paris. We should not shift the focus of this meeting away from arresting dangerous climate change and addressing the immediate and urgent need for adaptation and loss and damage.

As developing countries, we find ourselves confronted with a simplistic narrative that suggests that “the world has changed since the UNFCCC was adopted in 1992” due to the dramatic economic development gains of some of our members and hence that it is time to expand the pool of so-called “donors” of climate “aid” and to narrow the list of those eligible to receive this “support” to only the “poorest of the poor”. This narrative serves narrow national interests of developed countries and says little about reality. If the world has really changed so much, we ask why it is that after all these decades all our members remain developing countries with little or no voice in global decision-making processes and institutions?

Despite not having a finance obligation under the Convention, developing countries are already making significant contributions towards the global effort through the implementation of climate actions. It is therefore necessary that the the new agreement provides for the recognition of the social, economic and environmental value of actions financed voluntarily by developing country Parties, including on adaptation, and their co-benefits to health and sustainable development.

Differentiation is therefore not just a finance issue, but about the overall Paris outcome. The specific outcomes on finance must also not impose on our sovereignty and should not override or displace the zero poverty goals.

In particular, the Paris outcome must provide clarity on the level of financial support that will be provided by developed country Parties to developing country Parties to allow for enhanced implementation of the Convention in the post 2020 period.

A substantial scaling up of finance from the 2020 base level of US$100 billion per year is required. In this regard, developed country Parties, and other developed countries included in Annex II, have the main responsibility to provide finance that is new, additional, predictable and sustainable and with an balanced allocation between adaptation and mitigation.

The financial mechanism of the Convention must serve as the financial mechanism of the legal agreement. The related funds established under the Kyoto Protocol and under the financial mechanism of the Convention must also serve as instruments of the legal agreement.

On long-term finance, we need a decision that flows of finance, particularly for adaptation, under the financial mechanism of the Convention and the specialised funds, should increase, particularly in the context of increasing climate risks facing developing countries. The decision in Paris must lay the foundations for the Long-Term Finance Ministerial session on the agreed thematic cluster of issues to be held at COP22 in Morocco.

Furthermore, in the work on transparency, it is important that agreement is reached on transparency of support urgently for both the pre-2020 and post-2020 periods.

The fact that finance for climate change is discussed in a fragmented way across the bodies of the Convention, does not allow us to get a sense of the climate finance landscape. Our sense is that we are repeating this practice in determining what needs to be done now and beyond 2020, without the complete picture. This cannot be best way to address this most crucial aspect of the fight against climate change.

The crucial linkages between the provision of financial resource, technology transfer and capacity-building support have not been addressed in an integrated way in the UNFCCC system. This approach in the real world does not make any sense. It cannot continue if we are serious about addressing climate change. We need to have a coherent and comprehensive approach on means of implementation which includes the provision of finance, technology transfer and capacity-building. We therefore need a process that would enable us to agree on such a comprehensive approach. We also need to understand how institutional arrangements created for delivery of means of implementation are linked to ensure a coherent policy approach to the provision of support.

The Group believes that this informal consultation today should be the start of a new phase where Parties to the UNFCCC can discuss the provision of finance support in its broadest sense in a coherent and comprehensive manner that responds to the actual needs of developing countries to implement actions that are required to address climate change. We look forward to a fruitful and constructive discussion.

Africa’s Great Green Wall project gets $4 billion boost

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Africa’s Great Green Wall project gets $4 billion boost

World leaders and heads of major international agencies on Wednesday in Paris at the ongoing UN climate change conference (COP21) pledged $4 billion over the next five years to step up implementation of the Great Green Wall for the Sahara and Sahel Initiative (GGWSSI).

The metaphoric Great Green Wall will provide sustainable alternatives for millions of young people considering migrating from poverty-stricken areas in Africa’s Sahel region. Photo credit: theodysseyonline.com
The Great Green Wall will provide sustainable alternatives for millions of young people considering migrating from poverty-stricken areas in Africa’s Sahel region. Photo credit: theodysseyonline.com

Over the next 10 years, more than 50 million hectares of land will be restored, which will help sequester an estimated 250 million tons of carbon. The metaphoric Great Green Wall will provide sustainable alternatives for millions of young people considering migrating from poverty-stricken areas in Africa’s Sahel region.

Leaders expressed hope that the renewed commitment to the GGWSSI – Africa’s largest rural development project – will create new opportunities for communities’ right across the Sahel, whilst establishing greater resilience against climate change long into the future.

The Great Green Wall – originally launched in 2007 – is taking root in Africa’s Sahel region, one of the world’s most vulnerable areas to climatic variability.

Macky Sall, President of Senegal, said his country has already “planted 12 million trees and restored 25,000 ha of degraded land. This has helped boost long-term food, energy, water and economic security.”

President Sall was speaking Tuesday morning, at the Global Summit of the Heads of State and Government that are GGWSSI member states. The Summit was hosted by France’s President François Holland in parallel to the Climate Change Conference taking place in Paris, France.

The Ministerial meeting held Wednesday morning with heads of development partners was the follow-up to the Summit, with the renewed commitments coming from the Government of France, African Development Bank, Global Environment Facility, World Bank, and European Union, as well as the African leaders.

The changes to Lake Chad, which borders five countries in West Africa and serves a large population in the region, including two million people who benefit directly, signals the depth of the crises.

In just 30 years it has shrunk by nearly 10 times its original size from 25,000km2 to 2,500 km2. During this period, demand for water and arable land soared as the population around the lake rose from 22 million in 1991 to 38 million in 2012. The population is expected to reach 50 million by 2020.

The disappearance of Lake Chad is a security crisis that is fueling terrorist groups like Boko Haram, said President Idriss Déby of Chad. He called for effective commitment on the ground to counter these threats.

Persistent drought and land degradation in the Sahel are robbing land-dependent families of their livelihoods. Poverty, conflict over depleting natural resources, and increasingly, mass migration to Europe are rife. More than 20 million people in the Sahel are currently food insecure, according to the UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs.

The Wall is a practical response taken by countries located along the southern margins of the Sahara Desert. “Ensuring vulnerable communities are resilient to climate change is our first line of defence against the growing challenges of forced migration, food insecurity, civil conflict and extremism. The constraints countries face demand that we take early and effective action in Africa and other regions of the world where people rely heavily on the land for survival,” commented Ms Monique Barbut, the UN’s top advisor on controlling the loss of productive land.

“I commend the renewed commitment by the partners to the Great Green Wall, but hasten to add that it is in the interest of all countries to invest in land restoration. We can reduce the impact of future climate-induced disasters and quickly cut back the excess carbon dioxide emissions in the race to stay below a 2 degree Celsius target,” Ms Barbut added.

A virtual reality film of the Wall, produced by the UN Convention to Combat Desertification together with global brand studio, Venture Three, was shown at the Africa Pavilion at COP21. The film titled, Growing a World Wonder, follows Binta, a young Senegalese girl, as she and her family tend to their section of the Wall. It explores the challenges they face and how the project is already transforming their lives for the better.

“There are many world wonders, but the Great Green Wall will be unique and everyone can be a part of its history,” says Dr. Dlamini Zuma, Chairperson, African Union Commission. “Together, we can change the future of African communities in the Sahel.”

The Great Green Wall is African-led project with an ambition to restore the productivity of degraded lands across the Sahel region and transform millions of lives. Its goal is to provide food, jobs and a future for the millions of people who live in a region on the frontline of climate change. The Great Green Wall brings together African countries and international partners, under the leadership the African Union Commission, which includes the World Bank, Global Environment Facility, the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, the Food and Agriculture Organisation, and the European Commission, amongst others.

Concern as leaders depart, negotiators get to work

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Concern as leaders depart, negotiators get to work

As negotiators on Wednesday at COP21 in Paris began the hard work of translating the leaders’ statements into action, progress has been mixed. Delegates continue to meet in spin-off groups and informal meetings. Major issues like finance remain unsolved, which has slowed progress on other issues like the long-term goal and a plan to review national commitments periodically.

Alden Meyer of the Union of Concerned Scientists. Photo credit: econews.com.au
Alden Meyer of the Union of Concerned Scientists. Photo credit: econews.com.au

There was some progress on loss and damage on a high level following a bilateral between the US and the Alliance of Small Island States. Negotiators have been working on bridging proposals, but have been seemingly reticent to get them on the table. Many developed countries, including the EU, are being looked to by observers for provide more leadership in bringing negotiators together and out of their established public preferences.

Alden Meyer of the Union of Concerned Scientists says: “With leaders having left Paris, negotiators are buckling down to the final stage of their work on the text of the Paris agreement.  Progress is mixed, and it’s clear that several key issues will be left to ministers to resolve next week. Finance issues continue to be the most difficult, with little movement forward as negotiators continue to hold their chips close to their chest.

“Scaled up and predictable climate finance remains the linchpin to progress on other key issues, including mitigation ambition and adaptation. The atmospherics around loss and damage seem to have improved, on the heels of a productive meeting yesterday between President Obama and leaders of small island states.  But negotiators have yet to reach agreement on compromise text on the loss and damage issue, and it’s unclear whether they will do so before the ADP wraps up its work by this Saturday.”

Lies Craeynest of Oxfam notes: “EU member nations often express positions in line with those of vulnerable countries, but solidarity is more than just words. It needs to be measured by whether the EU stands for a strong deal here in Paris. On finance, the EU can make a difference by supporting strong anchors for finance in the agreement, particularly for adaptation, as well as moving on the financial transaction tax, which will be voted on next week.

“The EU’s carbon market could also raise revenue for developing countries to deal with the costs of climate change. They should keep these options ready to provide predictable finance, speak out on a strong long-term goal, and stand up for the inclusion of loss and damage.”

Harjeet Singh of ActionAid stresses: “While India is the third-largest emitter, it also has massive energy needs, with hundreds of millions of Indians lacking access to electricity. It also experiences serious climate impacts—as we speak, India is battling unprecedented floods. India has a very different starting point from many nations, but finance and technology transfer will be the accelerator to get us to the common finish line of a strong long-term goal.

“Let’s sequence these talks in Paris to start with finance and technology assistance from the developed countries. That’s how negotiators can address the issue of responsibility and help India solve the puzzle of cutting emissions.”

Development banks pledge increased funding to tackle climate change

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Development banks pledge increased funding to tackle climate change

Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) at the 21st Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) holding in Paris on Wednesday, December 2, 2015 identified climate financing for development action as a crucial step in putting the world on the pathway to sustainable development.

Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank Group
Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank Group

In a joint statement, the heads of African Development Bank (AfDB), Asian Development Bank (ADB), European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), European Investment Bank (EIB), Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the World Bank Group (WBG) pledged to further mobilise public and private finance to help countries reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change.

The leaders reiterated their commitment to “considering climate change across our strategies, programs, and operations to deliver more sustainable results, with a particular focus on the poor and most vulnerable.”

They noted that the six institutions had already delivered $100 billion for climate action in developing and emerging countries in the four years since starting to track climate finance in 2011.

The statement followed on commitments in recent weeks by the MDBs to increase financing for climate change mitigation and adaptation over the next few years.

The MDBs pledge “to increase our climate finance and to support the outcomes of the Paris conference through 2020,” the statement read. “Each of our organisations has set goals for increasing its climate finance and for leveraging finance from other sources… These pledges support the $100 billion a year commitment by 2020 for climate action in developing countries.”

According to Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank Group, “Africa has already been short-changed by climate change. Now, we must ensure that Africa is not short-changed in terms of climate finance. The African Development Bank stands fully ready to support greater climate financing for Africa,” he added.

Mr. Adesina stated that since Africa was growing in double digits, the AfDB will pump $50 billion in the next 10 years for energy development, agricultural and youth empowerment in Africa.

He further admitted that all fingers are not the equal hence those who pollute more have greater moral responsibility to fund more climate-resilient projects in vulnerable countries of the world.

Already, the UNFCCC has acknowledged the receipt of climate action plans from 183 countries, while laying out plans to tackle climate change and to reduce emissions.

The AfDB president cited new delivery platforms as assets in the execution and implementation of this project.

He urged industralised countries to fund and support Africa most especially in the quest for a sustainable development pathway.

President Jim Yong Kim of the World Bank Group declared: “We have the resources, we have the collective will, and we have a clear roadmap in the national plans that our clients have submitted ahead of Paris.”

On his own part, Takehiko Nakao, President of the Asian Development Bank, believes that “climate finance is critical to mitigate and adapt to climate change impacts.” However, finance alone is not enough. “It is imperative that we combine increased finance with smarter technology, stronger partnerships and deeper knowledge,” he said.

Sir Suma Chakrabarti, president of European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), reckons that with their long experience as leaders in climate finance, “the Multilateral Development Banks are making important contributions to combatting climate change, using their strong base of expertise to step up green finance, policy advice and the mobilisation of crucial private sector funding.”

On its part the, EBRD is further scaling up its climate finance activity through the implementation of its recently approved Green Economy Transition approach.

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), in the run-up to COP21, confirmed working with many countries in designing their national contributions towards tackling climate change. The IDB President Luis Alberto Moreno further stated that following the Paris conference, “we will help countries to translate these into investment plans that successfully attract the necessary capital for full implementation.”

By Aaron Kaah

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