Special Session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment on climate change

1. Special Session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment on climate change Peter Acquah (PhD) AMCEN Secretary Regional Office for Africa UNEP

2. Sponsors - Special Session of AMCEN on climate change Direct support provided by the following for the Special Session of AMCEN is gratefully acknowledged • UNEP • Denmark • Kenya • UNECA • Norway • COMESA

3. Sponsors – AMCEN’s work on climate change Support provided by the following is gratefully acknowledged • Denmark • UNEP • WWF • AfDB • OSS Further support from partners will be most welcome

4. Special Session of AMCEN on climate change • Welcome to the special session of AMCEN on climate change – the third Special Session of AMCEN in the 24yr. History of AMCEN. • Pre-session events • Meeting of the African high Level Expert Panel on Climate Change serving as the preparatory meeting for the Special Session of AMCEN on climate change. • AMCEN is a Specialized Technical Committee of the African Union. • AMCEN/SS/III/INF/1 – Information Note ….

5. NEPAD Environment Initiative Action Plan (2003) • Combating land degradation, drought and desertification; • Conserving Africa’s wetlands; • Prevention, control, and management of invasive alien species; • Conservation and sustainable use of marine, coastal and freshwater resources; • Combating Climate Change in Africa; • Transboundary conservation or management of natural resources.

6. Historical overview • Establishment of an AWG to initiate a process to consider further commitments for Parties included in Annex I for the period beyond 2012 in 2005; • Subregional environmental action plans of the environment initiative of NEPAD preparation and increased climate change concerns; • First African position paper for African Group of negotiators in 2006 (COP 12/CMP2); • Heightening of AMCEN’s concerns regarding climate change in 2007

7. Twelfth Session of AMCEN(June 2008) • Ministerial Policy Dialogue – President of AMCEN Summary included specific suggestions include elements for the process of developing a common position. • Decision 2 on climate change: • Africa’s preparations for developing a common negotiating position on a comprehensive international climate change regime beyond 2012; • Comprehensive framework of African climate change programmes. • The first phase of the Secretariat’s work:: • trust building, • resource mobilization; • consensus building; and • laying the foundation for the various actors in Africa to work in concert

8. Ministerial Policy Dialogue(Some specific suggestions made) • Shared vision key elements – sustainable development; poverty reduction; MDGs attainment; increased support for capacity building, financing and technology development and transfer for adaptation and mitigation in Africa; • Emission targets for developed countries(2020) – 25 to 40 % reductions below 1990 levels and by 2050 by between 80 and 95 % below those levels (achieving 450 ppm of carbon dioxide equivalent in the atmosphere). • Developing countries will respond by deviating from “business-as-usual” baseline emissions enabled and supported by finance, technology and capacity –building from developed countries, in a measurable, reportable and verifiable manner;

9. African Group of negotiators A consultative meeting of the African group of negotiators, held in Algiers in November 2008, marked a milestone. At the meeting, the African group of negotiators produced a document entitled “African Climate Platform to Copenhagen” (Algiers Platform), which contains a synthesis of the positions adopted previously by the African group of negotiators as agreed upon in Naivasha, Kenya; Abuja; Dakar; Bonn, Germany; Johannesburg, South Africa (twelfth session of AMCEN); Accra; and Algiers

10. Ministerial Meetings • A number of ministerial meetings have been held since the twelfth session of AMCEN and the outcomes of those have been taken into account during the third special session: • Bangui declaration on the preparation of negotiations of the new climate regime post-Kyoto 2012 (Central African Republic, 11 September 2008); • Cotonou declaration on climate change (Benin, 22 October 2008); • Nairobi declaration on climate change, arising out of the meeting of the ministers of agriculture and environment belonging to the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Kenya, 7 November 2008); • Algiers declaration on climate change (Algeria, 20 November 2008). • Third edition of African Ministerial Conference on Financing for Development*

11. Applicable AU Summit Decisions in February 2009 The Summit of the African Union at its twelfth session adopted, inter alia: • the Algiers Declaration on Climate Change; • the recommendations of the twelfth session of AMCEN including the implementation of the decision on climate change(i.e. AMCEN’s work on climate change in Africa)

12. AMCEN’s Work on climate change

13. Conceptual framework of African climate change programmesas per twelfth session of AMCEN

14. Objective of the Special Session of AMCEN on climate change • The objective of the Special Session of AMCEN on climate change (3rd Special Session of AMCEN) is to provide a forum for African Ministers of the Environment to deliberate and attain the following: • Common African negotiating position on a comprehensive international Climate Change regime beyond 2012; • Draft concept for a comprehensive framework of African Climate Change Programmes; • Shared vision for Africa to combat climate change with A view to achieving sustainable development on the continent; • Common approach to engaging with the international community in developing solutions to tackle the challenges posed by climate change; and • Agreement on the modalities for submitting the outcomes of the Special Session to the African Union at its summit to be held in July 2009

15. Outcomes • The expected outcomes of the third Special Session of AMCEN include • Single African voice to advance the continent’s interests in negotiations for the climate regime beyond 2012; • Common African position in climate change negotiations; • Strong political support from African heads of State and Government for a shared vision on efforts to combat climate change in Africa and Africa’s common negotiating position; • Enhanced capacity of the African group of negotiators in selected thematic areas; • Harmonized climate change programmes on the continent to ensure coherence and building of synergies; • Effective engagement with the international community in developing solutions to tackle the challenges posed by climate change; • Initiation of a consultative and participatory process for the development of Africa’s policy on climate change.

16. Schedule of meetings • Africa Group of negotiators – 23 to 26 May ’09 (Closed Sessions) • Special Session – Experts Segment -25 to 26 May ’09 (Plenary Sessions – Open) • Side –Events – 27 & 28* May ’09 (Open) • Technical briefing of Ministers of Environment – 28 May ’09 (Open) • Special Session of AMCEN on climate change- Ministerial Session – 29 May ’09 (Mix of Open and Closed Sessions) • Mini-Exhibition*

17. BREAK-OUT SESSIONS(Closed Sessions) • POLICY RELATED GROUP (Gp. 1) • Draft Nairobi declaration on African process for combating climate change; • Draft key political messages • Draft elements of climate change policy for Africa • AFRICAN NEGOTIATORS GROUP (Gp. 2) closed session) • FRAMEWORK ROGRAMMES GROUP (Gp. 3) • Draft conceptual framework of African climate change programmes • Draft decisions • Draft key political decisions

18. POST SPECIAL SESSION • Submission to the AU Summit in July 2009 • Subregional consultative meetings under the auspices of the RECs before October 2009 • AMCEN’s pre- COP meeting for African High Level Expert Panel on climate Change in Addis Ababa in October 2009 • President’s of AMCEN’s initiative • Copenhagen 2009 (COP15/CMP5) • Post Copenhagen 2009 -13th session of AMCEN in April/May 2010

19. Conclusion • Africa will have a common and informed voice at Copenhagen 2009 and a shared vision for combating climate change.

20. Thank you for coming and your kind attention