21 July 2008: The Global Mechanism (GM) of the UN Convention
to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) has announced that it has been invited by the
Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) to join an advisory
group assisting with the development of a Carbon Fund/Facility.

The GM participated in COMESA’s Carbon Finance Workshop held
in Johannesburg, South Africa, from 23-24 June 2008. The Workshop sought advice
on the proposed Carbon Finance Platform, which is part of a comprehensive
approach and initiative to promote climate change adaptation and mitigation in
Africa, as well as on the establishment of a COMESA Carbon Finance Facility or
Fund in order to forge the partnerships and mechanisms to attract investors to
purchase carbon offsets from agricultural, forestry and land-use projects. Workshop
participants called for the platform to: support and coordinate Africa’s
preparation for the Conference of Parties (COP) to the UN Framework Convention
on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 2009; construct a model
Carbon Fund or Facility that will support both project development and ensure
equity for both sellers and buyers; and develop criteria to facilitate the
screening of potential projects for the Carbon Fund.
COMESA will revise the
proposed Carbon Finance Platform on the basis of the inputs received. Consultations
to define additional areas for GM-COMESA cooperation are underway, including
for enhancing the synergistic implementation of the UNCCD and the UNFCCC through
joint analytical work and policy dialogue to better position UNCCD related
issues (e.g. Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Uses (AFOLU), Reduced
Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD), and dryland forests)
within the climate change negotiations. [Global
Mechanism News Release]