This piece is on Nigeria’s preparedness and what we can all do to ensure that we all contribute to the Nigeria input to COP21 and beyond.
COP 21 in Paris is expected to get the largest gathering of leaders, negotiators, heads of state, business, non-governmental organisations and other stakeholders. It is aimed at reaching a universal agreement to reduce emission and to move the global economy on the path of low carbon economy.
The Minister of Environment has set up a committee to prepare Nigeria’s position for COP21 and, from available information, the think-tank is advancing in its work. We wish the committee success in its assignment.
In the last three weeks the Department of Climate Change, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), has continued to play a critical role in the arrangement towards Paris. These included the workshop on the Nigeria Document on Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) which was a fall-out of the “Lima Call for Climate Action”.
It was decided at COP19 in Warsaw, Poland that member states needed to prepare their documents with a view to give them the opportunity to know how they propose to achieve the objectives of the Convention – reducing greenhouse gases (GHGs).
A one-day Workshop helped to let the participants know that what the contents of the document should be and how various arms of the Nigeria development sector are expected to contribute to the document. The workshop provided a useful platform for participants to have a clear understanding of the information required from different sectors of the economy.
It was stressed that the document needed the input of all sectors – government, private sector, political class, non-governmental organisations and the public. The participants were grouped into various sectors and were told the importance of their contributions as their input would go a long way in ensuring buy-in and ownership.
The session was followed the second day with an expert meeting on the information gathering, input and documentation that will further assist in the production of the INDC.
Another programme organised by the Department of Climate Change in the Federal Ministry of Environment in collaboration with the UNDP was a three-day Back-to-Back Workshop, which involved preparations for the UNFCCC’s June 2015 Sessional Meeting in Bonn, Germany in preparation towards COP 21 in Paris in December, 2015.
Participants had the opportunity to participate in a mock exercise of the negotiation text – UNFCCC Ad-Hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action (ADP). The Negotiation Text reflected work in progress and is without prejudice to whether the outcome will be on protocol, another legal document or agreed outcome with legal force as well as the legal nature of any particular provision.
The participants also had opportunity to learn about the status of negotiations as well as reviewing the Nigeria position on the various negotiation tracks. The participants were updated on the Adaptation Fund, Green Climate Fund, sourcing various Climate Funds, the process of Reddiness Programme, project selection, registration of National Implementation Entity and other financial institutions, as well as information for participating in financing of sustainable investments.
The questions and answers session provided opportunity for effective stakeholder input and engagement. The session also helped in simplifying some of the technical terms and concepts. The break-out groups provided opportunity for sharing experience, understanding the different frameworks and developing pipelines of projects and programmes. The third day provided the technical group the opportunity to work on the technical requirements of the conference.
The workshops were timely, useful, provided opportunity to share experience and to put in motion the train towards COP 21 in Paris.
We thank the Federal Ministry of Environment, the Climate Change Department and UNDP for their contributions to the success of the programmes. The participants also deserve commendation and we hope this will be the beginning as we still have a long way to go.
We appeal to everyone to support the efforts to prepare a good INDC document for Nigeria and also that we should play a leadership role in leading Africa to this important COP 21.
By Prince Lekan Fadina (Executive Director, Centre for Investment, Sustainable Development, Management and Environment (CISME). (He is a member of the Nigeria Negotiation Team, Africa Group of Negotiators and member, AGN Finance Co-ordination Committee). Website: www.cismenigeria.com. Email: cismevision@gmail.com. Twitter: @cismevision
