African CSOs Want Climate Change Induced Migration, Agriculture difficulties Addressed in Warsaw

By VIOLET MENGO 

The Pan African Climate Change Justice Alliance, PACJA has continued to multiply its side events at the COP 19 climate Change discussions in Warsaw-Poland, joining other civil society organizations from South America and India to highlight the situation of climate change impacts in their various communities.

After the question of induced migration that has wreaked havoc in many vulnerable communities in Africa, Asia and India the civil society organizations think these issues should feature on the negotiation table of decision makers now than later.

After discussing the issue of climate forced migration on the 11-11-2013 that is not only pushing many youths to flee in search of greener pastures in Europe but worse still leaving many inhabitants these affected communities helpless, the civil society actors on the 12-11- 2013 zoomed on the declining agriculture output triggered by climate change, a situation that is becoming a potentially worsening risk in developing countries.

The rights and livelihood of climate change forced migrants could be protected in view of different international covenants,” says Martin Viella of Jubillee South.

From the African perspective, Samson Ogallah of Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) said some of the conflicts been witnessed across the continent are linked to direct impacts of climate change that is forcing  people to migrate from one country or region to the other in the continent.

Ogallah added that Internally Displaced Persons’ (IDP) camps litter across the continent as a result of climate induced and forced migration. The continent contributed least to the cause of climate change yet bears the brunt of its impact. Africa can no longer wait; the continent and its people are running out of patience on the slow pace of negotiations and implementation of internationally binding agreement on climate change he stressed. He also calls for a concrete decision to be arrived at in Warsaw on Loss and Damage.

Civil society organizations want the issue of climate change induced migration to be taken into consideration as a responsibility of major carbon emitters’ countries and exploring a demand for new UN protocol in this regard.

The situation on declining agriculture output just like climate induced migration is becoming as an encumbrance necessitating to be included in climate discourse, from the MVCs [Most vulnerable countries] perspective.

“Africa depends on rain-fed agriculture. Annex 1 countries should meet up with their historical responsibilities as concerns assisting developing countries address the problem of climate change. The land space in Africa is also now been grabbed by some of these rich countries. They have used up more than their fair share of the atmospheric space, so let them leave the land space and its resources in Africa to the continent and its people” Samuel Samson Ogallah of PACJA said.

They also discussed how the rights and livelihood of these forced migrants could be protected in view of different international covenants.

The discussions were held under the theme “Climate induced migration the question of rights and common but differentiated responsibilities”. Guest speakers included Samson Samuel Ogallah of Pan African Climate Justice Alliance [PACJA], Martin Viella, Bolivia, Jubiliee South, Latin America, Azeb Girmai LDC Watch, Soumaya Dutta, Beyond Copenhagen Collective, Ajay Jha, PARIVI, India.