5 November 2009: Regional discussions to identify support needed by Africa in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) highlighted the role of climate change. The Tenth Session of Regional Coordination Mechanism of UN Agencies and Organizations Working in Africa in Support of the African Union and its New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) Programme was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 5-6 November 2009, to review, among other things, tackling climate change and achieving the MDGs.
Opening the meeting, UN Deputy Secretary-General Asha Rose Migiro underscored “the threat of catastrophic climate change” for Africa. She noted that the effects of climate change and the global financial crisis have overshadowed economic growth rates due to prudent macroeconomic policies, improved governance and private sector reforms in many African countries. Abdoulie Janneh, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), stressed the importance of gaining a proper understanding of Africa’s position in the negotiations on a post-2012 climate change agreement and of how the UN system can provide support to African States in implementing its outcomes. [UNECA Press Release] [Migiro’s speech][Janneh’s speech]