ClimDev-Africa, a Development Program, according to Guinea Bissau’s Minister of Environment.

Mr Barros Bacar Banjai, Guinea Bissau’s Secretary of State for Environment is one of the African Environment Ministers who contributed to the proceedings of the Fourth Conference on Climate Change and Development in Africa (CCDA-IV), which was held from 8 -10 October in Marrakech, Morocco. At the end of the Conference, which brought to the fore the plight of Island States in the context of climate change, Mr Barros shared his views on the Conference, the situation of Island States and the ClimDev-Africa programme, which he considers to be a development program.
Good morning, you are the Minister of Environment of Guinea Bissau and you have taken part in the 4th Conference on Climate Change and Development in Africa (CCDA-IV). You come from a developing Island State. What were your expectations from the Conference?
First of all, thank you for this interview. I think that whatever our status, we must be considered as member of ClimDev-Africa Programme because climate change is an issue that affects all of us. Whether we are a formal member or not, we consider ourselves as a member country of the program.
With respect to the conference, we have many expectations as a small Island State. Guinea-Bissau is a country which is partly continental and party insular. I was somewhat surprised yesterday, when someone from West Africa asked me if there were many islands in Guinea Bissau. There are close to 100 islands in Guinea Bissau of which only 20 are inhabited. But as we have heard here, we are already aware of the survival issue on the Islands, which also applies to the mainland. The coastal area is already affected by the impacts of climate change, even more so as it is a very low lying area. There are areas that are 5m below average sea level. Therefore, there are urgent needs with regards to the problem of salinization, sea water intrusion further into the mainland. This means a disruption of the production system, especially agricultural production.
Yesterday, we heard the discussions about this issue here, and this is a problem that my country is facing. It is also a problem prevailing on our continent, and particularly on the islands due to salinity of drinking water used for cooking. I firmly believe that the experiences that are being shared here could assist us in getting prepared for climate change, which is already affecting Guinea Bissau. I think that the issue is about building resilience against climate change. In this regard, we are very happy to know that we are ready to fight this issue together.
Despite the particularities of the Island States, do you think this conference could make a difference to these countries?
In terms of contributions, there is the knowledge aspect because it is essential to know the situation in respective countries. There are scientists among us. We heard about the blue economy, the green economy, information systems, early warning systems. I think that all these things can bring us something interesting. So we are here for a reason. For example, the AfDB announced yesterday that there would be support, that there will be assistance. This is very important. The only problem is that we were made aware that we need to prepare and submit the projects in the coming 30 days. In any case, I think a very important step has been taken, and perhaps we will reach a stage where the most vulnerable ones will benefit the most.
Do you know ClimDev-Africa?
As a program, I do not know how it operates. Yesterday, I found out that it is a programme supported by the UNECA and the AU.
 ClimDev-Africa is supported by three institutions, the AU, ECA and AfDB; it is a joint initiative that support countries in managing and mitigating the effects of climate change.
Thank you. I read about it yesterday; I know that the UNECA is involved in it because my country took part in the Third Conference of SIDS held in Samoa.
 That is when we received the information through our expert who was involved in the proceedings. I think it is a good initiative, which should be further elaborated. You know, almost every five or ten years, new concepts emerge on least developed countries, but we never move beyond the interpretation of these concepts, which is the case for the green economy, food security, food self-sufficiency and now the blue economy, resilience, etc.
How can we achieve all this without substantial resources? Funding is therefore central.
There may be indigenous knowledge, indigenous resources, but these are not enough. We need more than that.
This is why we, the vulnerable countries, are cautious about all these concepts.
I heard the Executive Secretary of ECA, Mr Carlos Lopes, speak on "Radio France Inter," saying that we should stop letting others define who we are, what we should do and where we should go. We have a mature continent which knows its requirements, its needs; it is therefore necessary to acquire the resources and allocate them in order to address this issue.
We also heard about the announcement of 33 million dollars to Africa. What does it represent for Africa? Although it is a commendable effort, it is far from being adequate. With all due respect to these institutions, they have done a lot to raise funding ... but there is need for more.
You just said that AfDB is one of the institutions sponsoring ClimDev-Africa, but AfDB is our bank, I think they can do more. This is not to criticize, but rather to open the debate.
You just found out about ClimDev-Africa, what if you were asked to write the outline of the program?
 ClimDev-Africa is in essence a Development Program! The other attributes don’t matter that much. It is about development in a changing climate. You cannot develop a continent without knowledge and financial resources. These are fundamental issues that should be addressed. Preparing African men, acquiring knowledge, since we know what we want for our countries, and as such seek some sort of justice between the North and the South, especially for Africa.  Climate change is caused by greenhouse gas emissions, and Africa contributes less than 5% of global emissions.
I think there is need for justice; the North, which is a little more powerful, a little more responsible for these gas emissions, should help the most vulnerable
Are you referring to the ‘polluter pays’ principle?
... This should be binding on all of us. It is an issue of common but differentiated responsibility.