Pan-African Parliamentarians are gathering in Nairobi, Kenya on the 31st August and 1st September 2023 for a dialogue on “Giving Effect to Pan-African Parliament’s Resolutions and Recommendations on Climate Policy and Equity in Africa.”
The high-level Parliamentary engagement, organised in collaboration with the Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA), aims to mobilise and align the efforts of African legislatures and parliamentarians around the resolutions and recommendations on climate justice and equity as a means to influence the global climate agenda for a sustainable future for Africa and the world.
The dialogue will sensitise African parliamentarians and other relevant stakeholders on the Third Pan-African Parliamentarians Summit on Climate Policy and Equity’s outcomes, resolutions, and recommendations, with a scheduled address by H.E Dr. William Samoei Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya and Chair of the Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC).
The Third Pan-African Parliamentarians Summit on Climate Policy and Equity was held at the Headquarters of the PAP, located in Midrand, Republic of South Africa, on May 16 and 17 2023, with the theme, “the continent at crossroads: Graceful just transition and NDCs implementation responsive to African development aspirations and economic realities”.
Hosted jointly by Pan-African Parliament and the Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA), the Summit brought together 350 delegates drawn from the Continental Parliament, National Parliamentary Committees responsible for environment, as well as parliaments of the Regional Economic Communities. The Summit included participants from various parliamentary networks on climate change in Africa and several key stakeholders and partner organisations, including the African Union institutions, National Governments, intergovernmental institutions, civil society, and other relevant groups.
The Summit contributed to galvanising a critical mass of stakeholders capable of catalysing broad support for pro-poor, just, equitable, locally-led and science-based decisions in NDCs implementation and overall climate action. The collectivity of actors as detailed above contributed to the Summit’s discussions and in shaping the outcomes of the Summit,
The Parliamentary Dialogue is being held on the sidelines of the inaugural Africa Climate Summit on 4-6 September, championed by President William Ruto. The Summit will be organized in parallel with the Africa Climate Week on 4-8 September, also hosted by the Government of Kenya.
The inaugural Climate Summit aims to address the increasing exposure to climate change and its associated costs, both globally and particularly in Africa. With the expectation of escalating climate crises in terms of frequency and intensity, urgent action is required to mitigate these challenges.
Simultaneously, the African Climate Week will also convene policymakers, practitioners, businesses, and civil society representatives. This assembly will promote the exchange of insights on climate solutions, identification of barriers, and exploration of opportunities across diverse regions. The culminating point will be the inaugural global stock take, contributing to COP28’s agenda in the United Arab Emirates in December 2023.
The Pan-African Parliament and Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance therefore plan to use the presence of African parliamentarians in Nairobi during the Africa Climate Week, to facilitate reflections and assert the prominence and visibility of African parliamentarians within the global climate change discourse. The meeting seeks to align the efforts of legislatures with international decisions and declarations and underscore the imperative of unified action in confronting the climate crisis as a beacon of parliamentary influence, harmonizing global aspirations with national imperatives and fostering a sustainable future for Africa and the world.
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