Climate change and aid for trade dominate ECA partners forum

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Climate Change and Aid for Trade Dominate ECA Partners Forum

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 27 February 2009 – Despite not having contributed to the global problem of climate change, Africa is suffering the most from its effects and the industrialized countries should assist the continent to manage the fall out, United Nations Under-Secretary General and Economic Commission on Africa (ECA) Executive Secretary Abdoulie Janneh said.

“We are dealing with a problem to which Africa did not contribute, so the international community should assist the continent to acquire the capacity to adapt to it,” he told an audience of international development partners. “This would be a fair approach that assists the negotiations process in the forthcoming Copenhagen Climate Change Conference taking place later on this year.”

Mr. Janneh made his comments during the annual ECA Partnership Forum in Addis Ababa Wednesday. The forum is an exchange between the ECA and its development partners to provide an update on on-going initiatives as well as to showcase new ones.

The African climate change initiative dominated much of the discussion. The response to climate change on the continent is spearheaded by the Climate Information for Development in Africa (ClimDev Africa) programme – a joint partnership between the African Union Commission (AUC), the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the ECA. The programme, initiated in 2006, aims to fill gaps in information, analysis and options for policies and practices regarding effective adaptation to climate change.

It will also build a solid foundation for a science-based response, provide a framework for co-ordinated activities and assist in sound policy making to address climate change related challenges.

Mr. Josué Dioné, Director of ECA's Food Security and Sustainable Development Division, outlined how Africa is hoping to forge a continental response to climate change, an issue he dubbed “the most daunting challenge that Africa faces for sustainable development today.”

The anchor in the ClimDev Programme is the creation of the African Climate Policy Centre (ACPC). This centre, which will be housed at the ECA, will focus on development policies and strategies for climate sensitive sectors. More immediately, it will advise and support African policy makers in the ongoing preparation of an African common position on climate change to be concluded at the United Nations Climate Change Conference taking place in Copenhagen , Denmark in December 2009, said Mr. Dioné.

Mr. Janneh reiterated how important the ACPC is for building an African common position on climate change and moving forward the whole ClimDev-Africa Programme. He exhorted partners to come up with immediate funding for at least a minimal level of operations for the Centre.

“It is important to articulate an African negotiating voice,” he said. “Leadership to put the African position together must be African owned and led.”

Talk turned to ways that Africa could contribute to lessening some of the climate change effects. Carbon trading was mooted as a way to both aid heavy polluters to meet their carbon emission goals as well as possibly provide revenue to African countries to help fuel further mitigation projects. It's a way to keep the continent from making the same development mistakes as the industrialized countries, Mr. Janneh said.

Mr. Dioné underscored this view, adding: “Beyond adaptation, Africa could even contribute significantly to climate change mitigation if it is given the means to improve its capacity to a cleaner development path.”

In addition to climate change, Aid for Trade was also on the Partners Forum agenda. Stephen Karingi, Chief of the ECA Trade and International Negotiations Section, explained the barriers Africa has faced harnessing its full potential.

The issues are manifold. Africa has the highest trade costs of any region in the world, which prevents it from realizing trade gains. Significant portions of those high trade costs are due to poor infrastructure and weak institutions. The continent is also home to 15 landlocked countries, which compound trade costs.

Aid for Trade can help solve some of these concerns, Mr. Karingi said.

Aid for Trade is an initiative to help developing countries build “trade capacities” to get real access to international markets in a competitive way.

“Its mandate goes beyond traditional trade technical assistance,” Mr. Karingi said. “Its scope includes dealing with constraints related to trade policy and regulations, support for building productive capacity toward diversification, trade related infrastructure like roads and meeting adjustment costs to trade reforms.”

Currently ECA along with the AfDB, are supporting Regional Economic Communities (RECs) to develop Aid for Trade strategies and action plans as well as trade policy capacity building for effective mainstreaming of trade in national and sub-regional development.

“The main challenge is on ensuring coherence between on-going trade negotiations and Aid for Trade strategies

development,” Mr. Karingi said. “Aid for Trade presents an opportunity for African countries to deal with the trade challenges they face.”

Issued by the ECA Information and Communication Service P.O. Box 3001

Addis Ababa Ethiopia

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4/8/2014 Article - Climate Change and Aid for Trade Dominate ECA Partners Forum

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