In continued efforts to ensure youth involvement and active engagement in climate policy development, the Federal Ministry of Environment is partnering with a non-profit German foundation, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES), to conduct a nationwide Youth Consultation on Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) Enhancement in Nigeria.
The consultation will hold virtually on Friday, September 11, 2020 with Sharon Ikeazor, the Environment Minister for State, and Daniel Mann, Resident Representative of Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung in Nigeria, expected to deliver remarks.
Building upon the International Youth Day event and the virtual validation workshop of NDC Youth Action Manual which held August 12 and 25 respectively, the National Youth Climate Consultation on NDC Enhancement in Nigeria will establish clear plans for permanent and meaningful youth engagement in Nigeria’s NDC process beyond the current enhancement including in the wider activities of the ministry.
It is expected that this consultation will bring meaningful youth engagement into Nigeria’s NDC Enhancement process and in tracking the implementation process.
Samira Ibrahim, the Director, Centre for Policy Research & Development Solutions, will moderate the event while Huzi Mshelia, NDC Revision Coordinator, Department of Climate Change, Ministry of Environment; Olumide Idowu, Co-founder, International Climate Change Development Initiative; and Seyifunmi Adebote, environmentalist and Host, Climate Talk Podcast, will also speak.
For the first time, Nigeria had youths as part of its official delegation to UN Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP25) in Madrid, Spain, December 2109. The coming session is in furtherance of such an engagement.
As an outcome of this Youth Consultation on NDC, eight NDC Youth Working Groups (YWGs) will be established across these eight sectors to officially feed into the final government NDC: Agriculture, Energy, Oil & Gas, Industry, Transport, Water, Waste Management Group and Cross-Cutting Issues (Finance & Investment, Gender and Youth).
Nigerian youths are encouraged to be a part by registering to attend via https://bit.ly/3hVp2xd.
The NDCs, which embody efforts by each country to reduce national emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change, are at the heart of the Paris Agreement and central to the achievement of these long-term goals.
Nigeria and 185 other countries submitted their first NDCs in 2015. Considering that the NDCs are submitted every five years to the UNFCCC secretariat, an updated NDC is required for all party members.
Each climate plan reflects the country’s ambition for reducing emissions, considering its domestic circumstances and capabilities. The updated NDC is expected to enhance the ambition of the Paris Agreement and provide a progression compared to the previous NDC while reflecting its highest possible ambition.
So far, only Moldova, the Marshall Islands, Suriname, and Norway have submitted their revised NDCs.
By ‘Seyifunmi Adebote, Abuja
