On the issue of Climate Change, the Africa region highlighted the need for all countries -- African and non-African -- to implement their obligations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and Kyoto Protocol. It particularly viewed the following as priorities:

•  Strengthening and increasing climate and related policy research to promote effective knowledge networking to inform policy and program development in response to climate change related challenges identified by the UNFCC;

•  Increasing African countries' access to the funds and benefit from the Kyoto Mechanisms and Marrakech Funds by improving technical and institutional capabilities;

•  Supporting and accelerating the development and implementation of National Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPAs);

•  Building scientific human and institutional capacities and developing international cooperation to deal with different aspects of climate change, including issues of adaptation at national and local levels where the vulnerabilities are most pronounced.

Proposal for Policy Options and Strategies

•  Increase the capabilities of countries to carry out assessments of the impacts of Climate Change, prepare NAPAs to cope with extreme climatic events, and support governments and private sectors to design carbon related projects.

•  Develop and increase innovative technologies, processes and products such as drought resistant crops, crop diversification, improved farming technologies, water conservation and harvesting technologies, use of efficient non-polluting energy sources and mosquito nets for malaria control, to cope with and adapt to the challenges brought about by climate variability and climate change.

•  Enhance and promote policy coherence and integration of climate change mitigation and adaptation concerns into priority development policies and programmes including PRSPs, so as to tackle climate change in an integrated manner.

Establish climate forums to enhance regional cooperation on climate and early warning and improved information sharing to reduce/manage climate-related risk on farming and other sectors that are vulnerable to climate variability and change within the region.

For more information: yadeyemi@uneca.org

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