29 January 2009: In a statement delivered at the 14th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union, taking place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Abdoulie Janneh, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), noted that although Africa’ s economic performance is commendable, it is not sufficient to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and the continent now faces the pressing challenges of global financial crisis, climate change and the maintenance of peace and security. He stressed that the continent will bear most of the burden of climate change, and called for mainstreaming mitigation, adaptation, financing and technology issues into the African policy agenda.

On the ongoing negotiations under the UNFCCC process, he underlined the need to “engage actively in the negotiations” and urged the Council to “take a keen interest in this matter and ensure active African participation” in the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP 15) to the UNFCCC in Copenhagen in December 2009. He pointed to the finalization by the African Union Commission, the African Development Bank and the ECA of the Clim-Dev Africa programme, which includes the future launch of the African Climate Policy Centre. [ECA Press Release]