Nairobi (By the special envoy) - The Declaration of Nairobi calls for the urgent need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and honour the commitment of promises of one hundred billion dollars per year in climate finance, 14 years after the Copenhagen Conference.
The declaration was adopted on Wednesday, in the city of Nairobi, Kenya, by the Heads of State and Government or their representatives who are participating in the African Summit on Climate, which aims to identify durable solutions that respond to the global challenges related to the climate on the continent.
The adoption of the document, also signed by Angola, by the Vice-President of the Republic, Esperança da Costa, was announced by the president of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki, at the end of the high-level meeting of the African Climate Summit, in presence of other global leaders, intergovernmental organizations, regional economic communities, United Nations Agencies, private sector, civil society, indigenous peoples, local communities, farmers, children, youth, women and academia.
The document, with more than 54 points, describes a global appeal for the need to accelerate the goals established in the Paris Agreement.
“The world is not on the right track to stay within the 1.5°C limit agreed in Paris and, therefore, global emissions must be reduced by 43% in this decade”, they warn, confirming that Africa is warming. faster than the rest of the world.
In a single voice, the member states defend the commitments to a fair and accelerated process of progressive reduction of coal and the abolition of all subsidies to fossil fuels.
They also call for positive investments for the climate that catalyze a growth trajectory, anchored in industries prepared to transform the planet and allow African countries to reach stable middle income status by 2050.
“We urge world leaders to join us in taking advantage of this unprecedented opportunity to accelerate global decarbonisation, while seeking equality and shared prosperity”, reads the document to which ANGOP had access.
The declaration calls for the operationalization of the Loss and Damage fund as agreed at COP27 and calls for a decision on a measurable Global Adaptation Goal (GGA) with indicators and targets, to allow assessment of progress against the negative impacts of climate change.
Member States' Commitment
Within the framework of the challenges, Member States are committed to developing and implementing policies, regulations, boosting economic growth and job creation in Africa, in a way that limits their own emissions and also helps global decarbonisation efforts; surpassing the traditional, industrial development and promotion of green production.
They also commit to focus their economic development plans on climate-positive growth, including expansion of just energy transitions and renewable energy generation for industries, climate-smart and restorative agricultural practices, and essential protection of valuing nature, and biodiversity.
The set of commitments includes the strengthening of actions to stop and reverse biodiversity, deforestation, desertification, as well as restoring degraded lands to achieve land degradation neutrality.
These envisage strengthening continental collaboration, which they deem essential to enable and advance green growth, inclusive but not limited to regional and continental inter-connectivity and further accelerate the operationalization of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
SDG target failures
African countries recall that there are only seven years left to reach the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda, and note with concern that 600 million people in Africa still lack access to electricity, while 970 million do not have access to clean kitchen.
Concerned with the fact that, although Africa has about 40% of the world's renewable energy, energy resources, only USD 60 billion, that is, 2% of the USD 3 trillion of renewable energy invested in the last decade reached Africa.
They further recognize that African cities and urban centers are growing rapidly.
Faced with these numbers, African states, among other challenges, will have to implement the African Union Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, with a view to realizing the 2050 vision of living in harmony with nature, providing all reforms and support needed to increase the energy share to at least 20% by 2030.
NE/OHA/ADR /DOJ
