PAP Work on Climate Change through CREANE

According to the Rules of Procedure of the Pan African Parliament, the Committee on Rural Economy, Agriculture Natural Resources and Environment (CREANE) has the core mandate to consider the development of common continental and regional policies in the Economy, Agricultural, Natural Resources and Environment sectors as well as to promote the development of policy and implementation of programmes of the African Union relating to its thematic areas. Over the years, the Committee on Agriculture has focused on four thematic areas; Food and Nutrition Security in Africa; Climate Change; Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Land and Soil Management in Africa.

Specifically, and under the thematic area of climate change, the Committee on Agriculture has achieved the following milestones:

  • Establishment of the African Climate Legislation Initiative

African Climate Legislation Initiative (ACLI) is a joint initiative between the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA), the Pan African Parliamentarians Network on Climate Change (PAPNCC) and Pan African Parliament. ACLI has been established with a vision of implementing climate actions that are beholden by sound legal frameworks. ACLI also seeks to provide a platform for the engagement of parliamentarians to effectively participate in the global climate governance processes.

The key objectives of ACLI are to provide capacity building, networking and coordination of parliamentarians in climate change dialogue and response processes, both in Africa and globally and also to increase the profile of climate change and to identify, and raise awareness, of interventions on climate change and their impacts to economies in Africa.

One of the key projects for ACLI is the development of a Model Law on Climate change. Although this project is still in its early stages, however, this project has attracted the attention of many stakeholders and partners, and it is expected that the PAP will build on the momentum generated by this project and embark on the development of this vital and timely model law.

  • Establishment of the PAP Desk on Climate Change

The Committee on Rural Economy, Agriculture Natural Resources and Environment established and officially launched the PAP Desk on Climate Change in 2018. The key objective of this Desk is to provide technical support to the Member States and serve as a centre for monitoring, evaluating, and networking on climate change activities and issues at the national, regional, continental and international levels; and to take the responsibility for planning, coordination and participation of the PAP at the Conference of Parties (COPs) session.

The Desk has been actively facilitating the participation of the PAP delegation in the annual global event of COPs. Among key activities organized by the PAP during COPs is the PAP Side Events to build the capacity of participants, increase awareness on the impact of Climate change in Africa and measures to mitigate impact including promulgation and promoting the development of related and relevant laws in Africa Member States. The PAP is also involved in the co-organization of Africa Day with other relevant organs of the AU and other stakeholders such as the African Development Bank.

  • Networking and Partnership

Within the context of enhancing the vital role expected by the continental parliament on tackling issues related to climate change and its negative impacts in African, the Committee on Agriculture has established a strong relationship with many relevant stakeholders such as the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) and Climate Parliament (CP). To institutionalize such a relationship, the PAP signed a Memorandum of Understandings (MoU) with both organisations with a time-bound action plan.

  • Capacity Building Workshops on Climate Change

The Committee on Agriculture, in collaboration with relevant stakeholders, organized several capacity-building workshops to sensitize African Parliamentarians on the negative effects of climate change and other relevant issues. A few examples, in this regard, are the organization of two Consultative Workshop organized last April 2021 on the “Impacts of COVID-19 Pandemic on Climate Change in Africa” and on the “Long-term Effects of COVID-19 on Climate Legislation in Africa”.

Furthermore, the Committee on Agriculture also organized, in collaboration with the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA), Capacity Building Workshop on Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) Implementation Index and Monitoring and Tracking Tools for Africa. The key objectives of this workshop are (1) to build and strengthen the capacity of Parliamentarians, policymakers and representatives of regional bodies on the use of the developed NDC Implementation Index and Monitoring and Tracking Tools; (2) to provide capacity on the application and/or use of the tools to gauge progress in preparedness and implementation of NDCs in their respective countries; and (3) to train participants on how to tailor NDC Implementation Indices to their countries’ context.

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