3 November 2015
CCDA-V Delegates Consider Progress on UNFCCC Objectives, Africa’s Role
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The 5th Conference on Climate Change and Development in Africa (CCDA-V) concluded with delegates stressing a number of key messages, including that developing homegrown climate information and policy frameworks will be important for responding to Africa's needs and strengthening governance practices; and that domestic resource mobilization is necessary to scale up proven green development strategies and innovations.

ccda-v30 October 2015: The 5th Conference on Climate Change and Development in Africa (CCDA-V) concluded with delegates stressing that developing homegrown climate information and policy frameworks will be important for responding to Africa’s needs and strengthening governance practices, and that domestic resource mobilization is necessary to scale up proven green development strategies and innovations.

Held under the theme ‘Africa, Climate Change and Sustainable Development: What is at Stake at Paris and Beyond?,’ some described the Conference as “Africa’s dress rehearsal” for the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 21) to the UNFCCC. Various speakers urged delegates to use CCDA-V as a launching pad to consolidate and refine positions for COP 21.

On the interface between climate science and policy in Africa, participants called for strengthened technical capacities in climate modeling, and to support climate information services for effective climate change risk management and resilience. Other key messages and conclusions included the need to: recognize that adaptation is crucial, but that Africa should not overlook opportunities for mitigation in forestry, transport and agriculture; articulate more ambitious goals than those expressed in the intended nationally determined contributions (INDCs) submitted under the UNFCCC; and break the disconnect between science and policy.

Addressing delegates at a high-level plenary, Fatima Denton, Director, Special Initiatives Division, UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), called for a “confident Africa” to send a message to COP 21 that the region is capable of “giving new meaning to its growth story,” and to say to the rest of the world “you no longer have the license to emit on our behalf and we are prepared to invest in smart development by using our current atmospheric space to green our economies and build climate-resilient infrastructure.”

Convened from 28-30 October 2015, in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, CCDA-V brought together approximately 400 delegates to participate in plenary discussions and parallel sessions, addressing topics under the themes of governance, climate science, sustainable development, climate finance, energy, agriculture, forests, gender, youth and disaster risk reduction (DRR). This year’s CCDA included a Solutions Forum for identifying practical strategies and initiatives that address climate change challenges.

ECA’s Climate for Development in Africa (ClimDev-Africa) Programme, the African Union Commission (AUC) and the African Development Bank (AfDB) jointly organized CCDA-V. [IISD RS Coverage of CCDA-V] [CCDA-V Website] [ECA Press Release, Agenda] [ECA Press Release, Solution Spaces] [ECA Press Release, Launch Pad] [ECA Press Release, Africa’s High Stake in Climate Change]


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