26 November 2009: The Government of Sweden has signed an agreement with the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), committing 60 million Swedish Kronor to support the UNECA’s African Climate Policy Centre (ACPC).
The ACPC was established under the Climate Information for Development in Africa Programme (ClimDev-Africa), a joint initiative of the African Union Commission (AUC), the UNECA and the African Development Bank (AfDB). The Programme was established in response to the urgent challenge that climate variability and change pose to Africa’s sustainable development objectives, and has a mandate to develop region-wide systems for monitoring, predicting and responding to climate events.
During the signing of the agreement with the Government of Sweden, Abdoulie Janneh, Executive Secretary of the UNECA and UN Under Secretary-General, emphasized that because climate change would negatively impact on Africa in many ways, the region was determined to present a united voice during the 15th session of the Conference of Parties to the UNFCCC, adding that “Africa is clear on what it wants and we are confident on the outcome.” Janneh highlighted that the Swedish contribution would help the Centre fulfill its various mandates on behalf of African countries. Jens Odlander, the Swedish Ambassador to Ethiopia, said Sweden was pleased that Africa’s three regional institutions were working together on climate change and expressed the hope that ClimDev-Africa and the ACPC would help alleviate the negative effects of climate change for millions of children, women and men in the region. [UNECA Press Release]