The ACPC presents new climate change response strategy

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 15 December, 2016 (ECA) - The African Climate Policy Centre (ACPC) today presented it's new strategy as ECA's Centre of reference for the implementation of continental initiatives focused on addressing Africa’s response to climate change and its impact on the socio-economic development agenda of the continent.

Addressing development partners at a roundtable here today, Mr. Abdalla Hamdok, ECA Executive Secretary a.i. said the Paris Agreement  and the new realities on the continent have changed from Africa being on the “receiving end” to Africa primed to exploit climate opportunities to take the leadership in low-carbon climate-resilient development.

These new realities for Africa require that the African Climate Policy Centre re-configures itself and move beyond its policy and knowledge role towards "hands on, deliberate support to member states in their transition towards low carbon development, their understanding of the macroeconomic environment that will condition and enable the transition, and the tradeoffs they have to make based on their desired development model", he said.

Mr. Hamdok said ACPC's repositioning ACPC’s work with other centres and divisions of the Commission, would enable the Centre to take on new roles in shaping the narrative on climate resilient development while addressing key issues such as sustainable infrastructure, energy, water, agriculture and food, natural resources management and sustainable ecosystems, social development, trade, innovation, technology transfer and assimilation.

Fatima Denton, Director, ECA Special Initiatives Division in which ACPC is located, said that in responding to Africa's needs, intangibles such as "building confidence" of the continent's member states to address their challenges, is as important as the tangible support.

James Murombedzi, ACPC Acting Coordinator outlined the ACPC reorientation is in response to an rapidly evolving global context and response to the development frameworks that include the Paris Conference, Sendai Framework, the Agenda 2063 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development as well as emerging issues such as migration and urbanization, which will contribute to Africa's structural transformation.

The new strategy will focus on a delivery framework that is anchored on knowledge generation, knowledge delivery, supporting enabling policy environment and supporting the development needs of African member states.

Development partners present, including the World Bank, Norway, Sweden, the EU, the Nordic Development Fund, USAID, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Russia as well as continental partners, AU and Africa Development Bank (AfDB) expressed continued support and commitment to the Centre's new direction.

For further details on ACPC's new strategy, click here.

Issued by:

Communications Section

Economic Commission for Africa

PO Box 3001

Addis Ababa

Ethiopia