11 November 2009: Representatives of the EU and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) discussed climate change, among other issues, during the sixteenth EU-ECOWAS Ministerial Troika meeting, which convened in Abuja, Nigeria, on 11 November 2009, under the Co-Chairmanship of Frank Belfrage, Swedish State Secretary for Foreign Affairs, and Amb. Bagudu M. Hirse, Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs.
In the final Communiqué, the EU and ECOWAS reiterate that climate change requires an urgent and extraordinary global response to limit the increase in global temperature beyond 2°C, and express their determination to step up the pace of negotiations to reach a positive and ambitious outcome in Copenhagen. They underscore that developed countries should continue to take the lead by committing to deep emission reductions in the medium and longer term, and to the provision of capacity building, financing and technology to support developing countries’ mitigation and adaptation. They also call on developing countries to prepare low-carbon development growth plans as soon as possible.
ECOWAS and the EU further recognize the climate change implications for global security, and confirm their commitment to intensify cooperation within the framework of the Africa-EU Energy Partnership, noting that there should be no contradiction between responding to climate change and enhancing energy security. They thus identify the future development of the energy sector in the ECOWAS region as a key area for deepening bilateral cooperation. [EU Press Release][The Communiqué]