Nigerian delegates are among some 1,000 participants from 150 countries participating at the ongoing United Arab Emirates’ Ministry of Climate Change and Environment High-level Climate meeting to discuss emerging political issues on climate change.
Mr Seyifunmi Adebote, the Leader of Nigeria’s Youth Delegate to the meeting, made this known in a statement on Sunday, June 30, 2019 that the event is holding at the Presidential Palace in Abu Dhabi from June 30 to July 1.
Adebote said the meeting was structured to evaluate and strengthen the initiatives, commitments, and achievements that would be announced at the UN Climate Summit in September.
He said that the meeting was also discussing key and emerging political barriers and opportunities for global climate action.
“The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, who is expected to open the meeting, has remained deeply concerned about the need for world leaders to come up with concrete and realistic plans to enhance their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) by 2020.
“It is expected that the Abu Dhabi Climate Meeting will be the global milestone for the United Nations’ Climate Action Summit which will hold in New York, U. S. on Sept. 23.
“Nigeria, being a member country of Youth Engagement and Public Mobilisation, one of the Summit’s nine transformational areas has shown its commitment towards mobilising people to take action on climate change and ensure that young people are integrated and represented. ”
Adebote said that, at a youth pre-event briefing, Esther Agbarakwe of the UN Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth welcomed the Nigerian delegates.
Quoting Samira Ibrahim, one of the Nigerian delegates at the youth pre-event briefing as saying, “this event is very important for Nigeria, we are not here to just talk.
“Our job is to show leaders that the ideas and initiatives of young people around the world are driving landmark Climate Actions.
“We want leaders to know the work that is being done, share feedbacks and make stronger commitments that will scale these Climate Actions.”
Adebote, who is also the State Coordinator, International Climate Change Development Initiative, said Nigeria’s delegation to the Climate Meeting was led by Prof. Adeshola Adepoju, the Director-General, Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria.
He said also representing Nigeria at the meeting was Samuel Makwe, First Secretary of the Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the UN; Samira Ibrahim, a climate specialist from the Department of Climate Change.
Adebote said Amina Mohammed, UN’s Deputy Secretary-General; Patricia Espinosa, UNFCCC Executive Secretary; Carolina Schmidt, COP 25 President were expected at the meeting.
Others include Jayathma Wickramanayake, UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth, Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator and over 500 members of the Emirates.
