African Ministers Unite for Climate Agreement

African Ministers Unite in Calling for Strong Universal
Climate Agreement and Sufficient Finance to Unlock Africa’s potential

* Private and public sectors join in quest for market and finance
opportunities at 7th Africa Carbon Forum

(Marrakech, Morocco, 16 April 2015) – Ministers from governments across
Africa have renewed their call for a strong and universal climate change
agreement with increased flows of funds, including through market and
finance opportunities, sufficient to fulfill Africa’s development
aspirations.

With countries set to approve a new climate change agreement under the UN
in Paris in December, African ministers stressed the region’s readiness and
requirement for accelerated private and public financing of low-carbon
development. Africa, with its vulnerable populations and vast potential,
has perhaps the most to lose from climate change and the most to gain from
an effective climate change agreement.

“I agree with Ministers that the last 10 years in the implementation of the
Clean Development Mechanism is a very valuable asset and that market
mechanisms can play a significant role in raising the level of ambition,
and supporting climate action,” said Ms. Hakima El Haite, Delegate Minister
in charge of Environment of Morocco.

“In these last eight months before Paris, the focus must shift from
restating negotiating positions to finding common ground solutions,” said
UNFCCC Deputy Executive Secretary Richard Kinley at a day-long ministerial
segment at the Africa Carbon Forum 2015 hosted by the Kingdom of Morocco.
“All countries have something to gain from the Paris agreement and it is in
everyone’s interests to reach a strong conclusion as soon as possible this
year. If Heads of State come to Paris, it must be to adopt an agreement
that is robust and ready for them.”

Clean Energy to Unlock African Sustainable Development Potential

The African Carbon Forum 2015 focused on programmes to unleash private
sector finance, such as through the Clean Development Mechanism, and scale
up other forms of climate finance to strengthen the sustainable development
of African countries.

According to the International Energy Agency Africa Energy Outlook 2014,
625 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa, about two-thirds of the
population, are without secure access to electricity. Some 730 million
people in the region still rely on cooking mostly with wood, harming health
and destroying vital forest cover.

“The coming months provide African countries with a significant opportunity
to align their contributions to the Paris climate agreement with their own
long-term sustainable development priorities,” said Mr. Kinley.

Countries are busy detailing their Intended Nationally Determined
Contributions (INDCs), which they will submit as their contribution to
climate action under the Paris agreement. INDCs for 35 countries have been
submitted to date. On April 1, Gabon became the first African country to
submit an INDC.

Climate Finance and a Strong CDM Are Key to Success

Two clear messages emerged from participants at the African Carbon Forum.
First, linking climate finance to results is essential to stimulate greater
funding for both mitigation and adaptation to climate change. Second,
developing countries, including Africa, need tools like the Clean
Development Mechanism if they are to successfully shift to a low-carbon
emitting development path. Paris provides the continent with a unique
opportunity to anchor carbon markets in the long-term climate agenda in
line with scaling up climate action and sustainable development based on
their national priorities.

A consistent theme during the Forum was the need to preserve and improve
the CDM beyond 2020 as a tool for providing continued climate finance and
technology to developing countries, especially in Africa. This would
capitalize on the capacity and infrastructure already built up by countries
and stakeholders. It is widely expected that this will be one of the issues
to be resolved in Paris.

Participants particularly highlighted the usefulness of the CDM’s
established rules in measuring, reporting and verifying results and its
possible role to help define and clarify the content of INDCs. The
workshop also concluded that African countries could look at how best to
link and leverage finance through the Green Climate Fund at the same time
as increasing use of the CDM.

The Forum noted that the INDCs provide Africa with an ideal vehicle through
which public policy developments can be transparently displayed by
countries to shift toward a low-carbon and sustainable development path.

What the Forum organizers said about climate change and development in
Africa

“Throughout this African Carbon Forum, I have sensed the extraordinary will
of the continent to act, and to use the tools that are functioning and at
their disposal now, such as the Clean Development Mechanism. I share the
sentiment expressed by many participants here, that it is time to support
Africa's dynamism in particular by exploring how the GCF can channel
climate finance for the implementation of CDM projects in Africa, and
finally unleash the continent's mitigation potential. With the Paris
agreement in mind, I trust that African countries will reflect this reality
in their INDCs.”
John Kilani, Director, Sustainable Development Mechanisms programme, UNFCCC

“The African Carbon Forum 2015 has clearly demonstrated the engagement and
commitment by countries in the region to contribute to a balanced and fair
outcome at the COP in Paris. Countries are preparing their INDCs, and
presentations at the Forum indicate that these will have both ambition and
at the same time send clear signals of the need to balance adaptation and
mitigation aspects within a broader green economy development framework.”
John Christensen, Director, United Nations Environment Programme DTU
Partnership

“Here’s what participants at the Forum are saying: a clear and fair global
climate architecture, which can protect the more vulnerable regions, such
as Africa, needs to be a part of the Paris narrative. Participants are
demonstrating a very high level of commitment to helping the Paris process
hear Africa’s voice in getting climate policies right.”
Neeraj Prasad, Manager, Climate Change Group, World Bank Group

“As we move towards the goal of a global climate change agreement in Paris
in December, the 7th Africa Carbon Forum reinforced the need to have
adequate, predictable, sustainable climate finance resources to address
Africa’s challenges in transitioning to low carbon development, smart
agriculture, and sustainable urban development ¬ key topics at this year’s
ACF. These areas should be at the core of Africa’s development priorities
and how they are integrated into the countries’ INDCs will help determine
the successful implementation of INDCs beyond Paris. We all know current
climate financial flows are currently insufficient to meet all of Africa’s
climate change challenges, but it will be critical for African countries to
demonstrate the ability to effectively deploy those resources that are
available to help contribute to the global climate change goals.”
Kurt Lonsway, Manager, Environment and Climate Change Division, African
Development Bank

“As we've heard over the past couple of days, there is a great opportunity
for the private sector to invest in a low carbon future for Africa, using
market forces to bring innovative technologies so that the continent can
develop in a sustainable way. The Paris agreement can help facilitate this
by setting the right parameters for business to invest, including agreeing
rules and guidelines for carbon markets.”
Dirk Forrister, President and CEO of International Emissions Trading
Association

This year’s Africa Carbon Forum attracted over 600 participants of 53
countries, including 23 ministers or senior officials, policymakers,
project developers and investors, and built on the success of last year’s
forum in Windhoek, Namibia. Discussions centered on international and
national policies and operational issues related to carbon markets,
mechanisms and finance.

The Forum is organized under the umbrella of the Nairobi Framework by the
UNFCCC, United Nations Environment Programme along with the UNEP-DTU
Partnership, World Bank, African Development Bank and the International
Emissions Trading Association.

The Nairobi Framework was launched in 2006 by then UN Secretary-General
Kofi Annan to assist developing countries, especially in sub-Saharan
Africa, to improve their level of participation in the Kyoto Protocol’s
Clean Development Mechanism.

ENDS

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