CCDA-III welcome remarks on behalf of H.E. Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini - Zuma

Read for her by H.E Tumusiime Rhoda Peace, Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture.
UNECA, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
21 October, 2013

Your Excellency, Haile-Mariam Dessalegn, Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and Chairperson of the African Union
Your Excellency, Dr. Carlos Lopes, UN Under Secretary-General and UNECA Executive Secretary
Your Excellency, Dr. Donald Kaberuka, President of African Development Bank
Excellences
Members of the Diplomatic Corp
Distinguished Delegates
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a pleasure and an honor for me to address this important Conference. I wish to first of all convey the sincere regrets of Her Excellency Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, Chairperson of the African Union Commission for her inability to be present owing to other official exigencies. She has asked me to transmit to you her warm greetings and best wishes.  I also want to take this opportunity, on behalf of the African Union Commission, to express our deep appreciation to the Development Partners and the Local Organizing Committee and in particular, the Media and Communication Experts, Academia and Researchers and for promoting Africa’s interests on the issues of environment and climate change.

This year’s CCDA theme is significant, and particularly urgent, in view of the concerns about the slow progress by the historic emitters in fulfilling commitments to benefit Africa in its bid to tackle the challenge of climate change.

It is evident that our continent’s deep need to build effective coping mechanisms and robust adaptive capacities is not being given the attention it deserves by those who have emitted the GHGs the most.

In addition, part of the process of making the climate negotiations work for Africa is to ensure that the RIO + 20 outcomes are followed through with the necessary support and capacity buildings.

A few weeks ago, the 5th IPCC Report, Summary to Policymakers, was released in Stockholm against the backdrop of growing concerns that anthropogenic interference of the atmospheric system, driven by our unsustainable production and consumption patterns, is worsening the situation, thus confirming our fears ever more that humankind is seemingly rushing headlong to the abyss of catastrophe if urgent action will not be taken to reverse the trends.

The evidence from scientific analysis is compelling, lending weight to the view that massive resources need to be allocated to enhance the resilience of African countries considering that the region will be the hardest hit. The scenarios presented tend to show that, by the end of this century, the temperature rise could be as high as 4 degrees centigrade. In the medium terms, the world is bracing itself to witness a temperature rise of about 2 degrees by mid-century, though it is clearly stated that it is still within our means to exert efforts to keep the rise to 1.5 degrees centigrade.

It will be recalled that in Durban, the world had come to an agreement, for the first time, that a Global Treaty will be in place by 2015, and come into effect by 2020. This was a milestone development, coming at a time when the Kyoto mechanism was already causing sharp divisions at the international level.

Africa is on record as urging the historic emitters to stop interfering with the atmospheric system through growing emissions of greenhouse gases, and at the same time, assist and enable many expanding economies with renewable technologies at concessionary rates so that they can set themselves on a low carbon growth trajectory.

In fact, the challenges for Africa in CoP 19 in Warsaw, Poland, will be to continue to advance the cause where leading economies should make available a sufficient quantum of resources on the principle of historic and differentiated responsibilities, considering the historic emitters’ own role in generating the damaging anthropogenic externality.

While financial flows, based on the pledges made by the historic emitters, will be crucial in facilitating Africa’s adaptation, the financing of technological change, in an environmentally sustainable manner, remains a strategic priority of Member States. The establishment of the Technology Centre, being one of the key outcomes at CoP16 in Cancun, will be hosted by UNEP. Our countries can seek considerable support from this Centre to catalyze the flow of sustainable technologies.

Africa will also need to push for the establishment of a Loss and Damage institution in Africa, especially because climate change has already inflicted considerable damage and massive losses on African economies.  

Following the outcome of Rio+20 in mid-2012, the tempo of follow-up actions in Africa has helped focus minds for Member States to deliver explicitly on the flagship programmes. The African Union Commission has worked very closely with the UN agencies in Africa, and this collective endevour epitomizes the spirit of solidarity and unity among leaders and the people of the continent. This is the very essence of Pan Africanism, and its close connection with the idea of African Renaissance is evident indeed, stemming, as it were, from the prospect to materialize the implementation of the flagship programmes given their potential to facilitate Africa’s economic renewal. These two overarching organizing principles, Pan Africanism and the African Renaissance, were embodied in the theme of this year’s celebration of the founding of the Organization of the African Unity 50 years ago, and the birth of the African Union in 2003.

But the confluence of these virtuous dimensions in Africa’s historical evolution can also be related, in more recent times, to the role being played by the Committee of African Heads of State and Government (CAHOSCC), which in a single, united voice, articulates Africa’s interests in international climate change negotiations. And the streamlining of the coordination mechanism of CAHOSCC with the Presidency of AMCEN, is a reflection of that unifying synergy so crucial in advancing Africa’s noble causes regionally and internationally.

As you are aware, the United Nations General Assembly renamed UNEP’s Governing Council as the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) following the resolution of 13th March, 2013. This was a follow up to the decision of the 14th Session of AMCEN held in Arusha in 2012, calling for the strengthening and upgrading of UNEP. It is our sincere hope that this move would contribute to the substantial strengthening of the UN System as a whole in ways that would facilitate and support the African Union Commission in the implementation of it programmes.

As I conclude, I would like therefore to assure Your Excellences of the commitment of the AU Commission to support Africa’s efforts at all levels and continuing its unlimited support to the African Group of negotiators with a view to realize a successful deal for Africa at the next UNFCCC negotiation round, COP 19, that will take place next month in Warsaw, Poland.  

I thank you all for your kind attention, and also wish you fruitful deliberations.