One of the key outcomes of the 22nd Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP22) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that held last year in Marrakech, Morocco was the establishment of a new transparency fund with the injection of some $50 million by some developed countries, to encourage transparency efforts in the fight against climate change.
African civil society organisations under the aegis of the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) to that effect organised an African regional Post-COP22 sensitisation workshop in Kampala, Uganda, from April 19-21, 2017 to examine the readiness of African countries and improve on the momentum towards the fund project.
It was also geared at seeking to expand participation, broadening efforts to build partnership with government and other stakeholders, breaking from the past to build stronger and global resilience.
According to Sam Ogallah of PACJA, the sensitisation on the cardinality of the GCF was imperative to measure the readiness and highlight the role of civil society organisations in the funding project.
“Civil society organisations have to be accorded the opportunity to be abreast with the operational modalities of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) to permit them fully participate in the entire project process and also push their governments to make proposals adapted to the realities of their different countries,” Ogallah said.
Participants during one of the sessions examined the goal, objectives, activities and implementation strategies of the GCF, the climate finance process at national and international level within the UNFCCC.
Also examined was the outcome and decisions of the just ended 16th Board Meeting of the GCF and the way forward especially for civil society organisations.
According to participants, the GCF was in line with the Paris agreement in COP21. The Paris Agreement implementation, they said, should go hand-in-glove with the 2030 Agenda as well as the AU Agenda 2063, “a process which should take the bottom-up approach, be inclusive and transparent.”
It was also noted that the involvement of all stakeholders including government, civil society, development partners, the private sector, youths and women was not only necessary but imperative to drive the agenda to a success.
“It is a partnership of many facets in development in every country,” says Rebecca Muna, a civil society representative. The participation of the different stakeholders, she says, signals the willingness of countries to understand and undertake climate actions that go beyond adaptation and victory for African countries.
Courtesy: PAMACC News Agency
