UNECA /African Climate Policy Centre (ACPC) 2019-2024

The ACPC provided technical support to the African Union Commission (AUC) process of developing the Africa Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (ABSAP), to implement the outcomes of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) COP15 and Nineteenth Conference of the Parties (COP19) to the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) by convening global and regional expert group to inform the development of the Africa Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (ABSAP). ACPC further supported the AUC Specialized Technical Committee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Water and Environment that validated and endorsed the ABSAB and draft for the Heads of State and Government Summit. The second session of the 4th Africa Climate Talks (ACT!) in Niamey, Niger, in collaboration with the University of Abdou Moumouni and the African Centre for Meteorological Applications (ACMAD) and in partnership with the AUC, the AfDB and PACJA. Collaboration with the AUC and the Government of Kenya to design and implement the first ever African Climate Summit (ACS) convened by the Summit of the African Union Heads of State and Governments and hosted by the President of Kenya (as the then Chair of the Committee of African Heads of State on Climate Change (CAHOSCC). ACPC was fully engaged with the Government of Kenya in the preparation and convening of the presidential dialogue of the Africa Climate Summit (ACS) on reform of the global financial architecture for better climate and development finance. Collaboration with UNEP to organize the 19th ordinary session of the African Ministerial Conference on Environment (AMCEN) that held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 14 to 18 August 2023 on the theme of seizing opportunities and enhancing collaboration to address environmental challenges in Africa ahead of the Africa Climate Summit. Elaboration of a comprehensive study on Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, including a capacity strengthening event on the margins of the ACS for UNFCCC national focal points that was very well received and currently being further developed for scaling up. In partnership with AUC and AfDB, ECA convened the 10th Clim-Dev Africa Steering Committee (CDSC) meeting in Abidjan, Cote D`Ivoire on the 35 April 2023. In partnership with AUC, AfDB, and AUDANEPAD, the ECA, through ACPC led the technical planning and implementation of the Africa Pavilion and Africa Day at COP28 to provide the space and agency for Africa´s priorities in the climate negotiations The ECA delegation at COP28, , led by the Executive Secretary, convened several events at the Africa Pavilion, including sessions on loss and damage, Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, energy transition, critical minerals, climate resilience, climate finance, among others, in support of Africa´s priorities in the negotiations. ACPC also provided technical backstopping and analytical support to the Africa Group of Climate Change Negotiators (AGN) at COP28. ACPC continued its annual contribution to the production of the State of Climate in Africa 2022 report. The Centre led the policy and impacts sections of the report, and contributed chapters on Water Policy, Innovative Financing Mechanisms, and Loss and Damage. ACPC contributed to the editing and compilations of key messages of the reports. The 2023 edition was a particularly important report as it presented data on the weather extremes that are becoming prevalent, and impacts detailed in the report include the worst drought in 40 years experienced in the horn of Africa. ACPC is a core member of the Africa Working Group on Disaster Risk Reduction (AWGDRR) that is held biannually and serves as the principal continental coordination mechanism and advisory body for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR).

The overall objective of the proposed intervention is supporting African governments, the private sector and communities to respond to the impacts of climate change enhancing the integrated implementation of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) considering the same as a tool achieving the very objective of the Paris Agreement. Accordingly, the major activities of the contribution will focus on (i) implementing programmatic interventions focussing on supporting the integration of climate information and services into transboundary natural resources management, rural and urban planning, settlement planning and development, social policy and disaster risk management, and strategies for managed internal migration in member states, (ii) analyses of climate impacts on livelihoods in order to support strategies for the management of relationships between communities, between sedentary communities and transhumance pastoralists, internal community relationships around issues of access to land and natural resources, (iii) addressing vulnerabilities and building resilience of economies, communities and ecosystems to the impacts of climate change, strengthening disaster risks and conflict nexus.