Nairobi: Second all-Africa Carbon Forum to be held

Second all-Africa Carbon Forum to be held in Nairobi, Kenya on 3–5 March
2010

Conference, Trade Fair and Capacity Development to build on CDM gains on
continent — IETA, UNEP, UNDP, WB, UNITAR, UNCTAD AfDB and UNFCCC

(Bonn, 16 February 2010) – The programme is set and the list of
participants is growing fast for the second all-Africa Carbon Forum, set to
take place at the United Nations Gigiri complex in Nairobi, Kenya, 3–5
March.

The forum, an initiative of the Nairobi Framework partner UN agencies and
the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA), will build on the
growing interest in the Kyoto Protocol’s clean development mechanism (CDM)
in Africa.

Under the CDM, projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and contribute
to sustainable development can earn saleable certified emission reduction
credits. Thus, the CDM is stimulating investment in clean, sustainable
development, while helping to address climate change.

Countries are eager to scale up and extend the benefits of the CDM to more
countries. The all-Africa Carbon Forum, which will bring together project
developers, buyers, service providers, national CDM representatives and
various other private and public sector stakeholders, is an important part
of that effort.

The more than 500 expected participants will include some 60 national
representatives – so-called CDM designated national authorities and
national focal points – from more than 30 African countries. The conference
programme is focused on topics of special interest to CDM in Africa with
the expressed intention of catalyzing CDM activity on the continent –
emerging opportunities in the area of agriculture, forestry and land use;
carbon finance in waste management; reducing emissions from deforestation
and forest degradation (REDD) in Africa; opportunities for renewable
energy; Africa-friendly methodologies and programmes of multiple CDM
project activities; and raising capacity of CDM stakeholders, to name a few
topics.

In November 2006, then Secretary-General Kofi Annan launched the Nairobi
Framework, aimed at spreading the benefits of the CDM. Since then, interest
in the mechanism in Africa has grown, and with it the number of projects
and hosting countries. Still, Africa accounts for less than 2 per cent of
the 2,040 plus CDM projects registered to date in 62 countries.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP), the World Bank (WB), United Nations Institute for
Training and Research (UNITAR), United Nations Conference on Trade and
Development (UNCTAD), the African Development Bank and the UNFCCC
secretariat have joined to implement the Nairobi Framework.

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