Save the planet and the African people, African Civil Society urges African Governments
For Immediate Release
Gaborone 15-10-2013:
African civil society has urged governments to increase pressure on rich countries to honour their pledges in cutting greenhouse gas emissions and providing adequate finance to save planet and humanity. A communiqué by 80 civil society representatives from 35 African countries, meeting in Botswana’s capital Gaborone, commended African leaders for their continued unity in approaching international climate change and related processes, but decried the neglect of the sector in national planning.
The civil society meeting, which was organized by the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance in collaboration with the UN Environment Programme, preceded the 5thSpecial Session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN), and also served as the UNEP Regional Consultative forum with Major Groups and Stakeholders in the Africa Region (MGSF).
Participants, drawn from smallholder farming and pastoralist groups, indigenous peoples faith-based organizations, among other sectors, engaged in discussions on core climate change issues including the current state ofthe climate change dialogue processes and the Beyond 2015 Sustainable Development Framework/Agenda.
Speaking at the meeting Mithika Mwenda,, the Secretary General of PACJA accused rich countries of inaction and shifting of goalposts, and warned that unless there is genuine commitment to address climate crisis, vulnerable communities will be plunged into further misery. “ the last two decades have been characterised by unfulfilled promises and commitments by developed countries to Africa “ he said, “ in the meantime, the IPCC 5th assessment scientific report released recently has illustrated in stark terms that things are going from bad to worse”.
Najwa Bourawi from Association of Protection of Environment and Sustainable Development, Tunisia urged African negotiators to renew their efforts to demand climate justice on behalf of the African people. “Our leaders and other stakeholders should not allow themselves to suffer “burn-out” . The pressure to break the African solidarity is over-bearing, but our leaders need to be aware that they hold the future of close to one Billion Africans unto their hands”.
The AMCEN opened today with African experts discussing a collective African position ahead of the UNFCCC international climate change negotiations in Warsaw in November
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