Intended nationally determined contributions (INDCs) to the anticipated 2015 climate change agreement will be essential for durable African economies, according to remarks made by UNFCCC Deputy Executive Secretary Richard Kinley at the Seventh Africa Carbon Forum.
Speaking on the outcomes needed for a successful Paris Climate Change Conference, Kinley told African countries gathered at the Forum that "INDCs are each country's opportunity to express their development priorities."
15 April 2015: Intended nationally determined contributions (INDCs) to the anticipated 2015 climate change agreement will be essential for durable African economies, according to remarks made by UNFCCC Deputy Executive Secretary Richard Kinley at the Seventh Africa Carbon Forum. Speaking on the outcomes needed for a successful Paris Climate Change Conference, Kinley told African countries gathered at the Forum that “INDCs are each country’s opportunity to express their development priorities.”
The Forum, held in Marrakesh, Morocco, on 13-15 April 2015, was held under the theme ‘The Road to Paris 2015 (COP 21) – Promoting Access to Low-Carbon Development in Africa.’ In addition to the Forum’s longstanding goal of supporting Africa’s participation in carbon markets and boosting its access to climate finance, this year’s Forum also aimed to increase momentum toward the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 21) to the UNFCCC, where parties are expected to adopt a global climate change agreement.
In conjunction with the Forum, the Government of Morocco hosted a high-level segment, giving ministers a chance to consult on their INDCs and strengthen the African position in the climate change negotiations. Throughout their participation in the Forum, ministers stressed Africa’s readiness for accelerated low-carbon investment, both from public and private sources.
UNFCCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres also emphasized the need to ramp up climate finance flows to Africa, stating that a “visionary agreement in Paris can, in concert with an inspirational suite of sustainable development goals, assist in further unlocking Africa’s inordinate potential for clean, green, low-carbon development.”
During the Forum, participants took part in trainings on: identifying INDCs to climate change action challenges and opportunities; low-carbon development opportunities; trends in international carbon markets; finance and project opportunities, for example from the Green Climate Fund (GCF); efforts to increase demand for carbon credits generated by the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM); and opportunities in results-based financing.
The organizers of the Forum are the UNFCCC Secretariat, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), UNEP-DTU Partnership, the World Bank, the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA).
The Africa Carbon Forum is held under the Nairobi Framework, which was established in 2006 by then UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. The framework aims to support improving developing countries’ participation in the CDM, in particular in sub-Saharan Africa, including through capacity building, promotion of investment opportunities for projects, information sharing and inter-agency coordination. [Africa Carbon Forum 2015 Website] [UNFCCC Deputy Executive Secretary Remarks] [AfDB Press Release] [AfDB Event Page]