High Level partnership Launched of Africa Climate Solution at COP17

By VIOLET MENGO

As the United Nations Climate Talks gets to its conclusion this week of the negotiation, a tripartite agreement , on climate change was on Monday 5^th December 2011 launched by three Regions Economic Communities (RECs) in Africa aimed at harmonizing programmes approaches in Eastern and Southern Africa. The partnership is with the European Union, Royal Norwegian Government and the  United Kingdom.

The partnership involves Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), Eastern African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

Speaking at the launch of the initiative at a high level  side events of the  UN Climate talks, COMESA Secretary General Sindiso Ngwenya said the COMESA-EAC-SADC Climate Change initiative is  “novel that not only occupies a contiguous space on the continent but also have overlapping memberships  which stems from the need to harmonise programme approaches among these three  regions”.

The first flagship programme of the Tripartite is the creation of a grand Free Trade Area from Cape to Cairo, followed by an ambitious infrastructure development programme that will seamlessly interconnect the eastern and southern Africa. The three RECs constitute  half  the African continent.

Comoros Vice President Fouad Mohadji who officially launched the initiative said the new partnership is a testimony of the engagement of the countries’ partnership.

The vice president is of the view that the partnership will help upscale  agriculture programmes and contribute to the growth of local communities in the three regions.

The main aim of the Tripartite Climate Change initiative is to support the African effort at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to ensure that agriculture is accommodated in a manner that is responsive to the interests of Africa and its people.

Africa has always been about additional resources, technology and enhanced capacity to enable the continent to adapt to climate change as well as realise its full adaptation and mitigation potential. Capacity building is required for stakeholders in Africa to articulate, mobilise and sustainably implement adaptation and mitigation interventions that benefit the majority of Africans.

As indicated, the tripartite initiative is supported by Norway, EUC and DfID in a multi –donor financial arrangement. It initial focus is to up-scale climate smart agriculture among the most vulnerable smallholder farmers many of whom are women.

Europe and the EU Commission teamed up with Africa to come up with a new cooperation arrangement that will support Africa to address the most pressing challenges to food security through the wide adoption of climate smart agriculture; building the capacity of African institutions to handle climate change and lay the foundation for the continent’s sustainable and green growth and development.

A sum of US $20 million will be given to the initiative to undertake programmes that focus on up scaling climate smart agriculture among the most vulnerable smallholder farmers many of who are women for a period of five years.

 Speaking at the launch, United Kingdom Foreign Secretary Special Representative on Climate Change John Aston said there is need to rebuild the development model which he says has been broken.

“We are biting much already; we will not have security unless we lay a foundation on the four basic pillars that include water, food, energy and shelter.”, he said. “ Every time I come to Africa I wish that our financiers would come and learn from Africa lessons on resilience We have lost value of resilient” The royal Norwegian govenemnt was represented at the event by Mr Arvin Godgil, deputy minister for environment who immidetely announced a a Euro 20 million in support of the programme.

Mr Aston said the partnership  will give Africa a voice that has in the past been weak. He said the initiative offers a great opportunity for security and a stronger response to climate change.

And SADC Deputy Secretary General Joao Kaholo said to Africa climate change means drought, flood and loss of productivity due to human activity. “To have this partnership that will support the enhancement of climate change programmes in Africa is commendable,” he said.

The Deputy Secretary General of EAC Jean Claude Nsengiyumva, praised the partnership and thanked COMESA for spearheading , the initiative

About the COMESA-EAC-SADC Climate change solution

The tripartite Climate Change solution that was launched on Monday 5^th December 2011;

 Places a priority on increasing the resilience of the poor to climate related changes by scaling up climate resilient farming practices such as conservation agriculture and agroforestry. 

The  support to the programme will enable evidence-based policy interventions to increase climate resilience, particularly linked to food security, across countries in Eastern and  Southern  It will also provide targeted evidenced-based training to small-scale farmers to introduce climate resilient agriculture practices. Demonstration of successful trials and scaled up practices will be used to access climate finance through the championship of the Tripartite.

Expected results include: 250,000 small scale farmers using climate resilient agriculture practices; a 10% increase of farmed land in key countries under climate resilient farming systems; a 20% increase in yields amongst trained farmers; at least 10 countries more climate resilient through strengthened assessment and analysis of vulnerability; and US$300m climate finance leveraged. Donors supporting the Africa Climate Solution are UK,Norway and the EU.