Implications of Paris agreement on green growth to be discussed

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 29 March, 2016 (ClimDev-Africa) – The implications of the Paris climate change agreement for Africa’s growth and development potential will be the focus of a high level panel discussion to be held here during Africa Development Week hosted by the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the African Union (AU) from 31 March to 5th April 2016.

The panel discussion on; The Paris Agreement: Implications for Green Growth in Africa will provide policy guidance, partnership pathways and strategies for the further elaboration of the text for the ease of the implementation of the Paris Agreement prior to its coming into effect in 2020.

Co-organised by the ECA; the African Union Commission (AUC); the African Development Bank (AfDB); the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the event is part of the Africa Development Week where high level delegates including current and former heads of state, government representatives, civil society and media are expected to attend.

The post Paris discussion is timely given the imminent signing of the global climate agreement next month following its approval last December by 196 Parties on the means and mechanisms to combat climate change. The Agreement is significant in that it ushers into being a climate regime to replace the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2020.

The period 2016 to 2020 therefore provides an opportunity for countries to influence the expression of main instruments of the Agreement, particularly the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) which are the principle means to limit global warming to well below 2o Celsius.

For Africa, the next four years present a window of opportunity to refine the NDCs to ensure that they achieve the dual objective of controlling global warming while safeguarding pathways to sustainable development. The NDCs would require some revision and rationalization to bring them into greater alignment with national development plans and strategies.

 “During this pre-2020 period, the focus is expected to be on consultations to revise the NDCs, raise the levels of ambition, and prepare implementation and associated resource and investment plans that are aligned with national development priorities. Capacity and institution building will be important in this phase to allow for the proper planning, implementation and monitoring of NDC related activities,” says panel discussion moderator, Fatima Denton who is Director of the ECA Special Initiatives Division.

Revisions are expected to begin in time for the Facilitative Dialogue on NDC progress as well as the publication of the IPCC Special Report on pathways for 1.5°C in 2018.

Other significant areas for the post-Paris review are climate finance, transparency and accounting mechanisms, loss and damage, technology transfer, growth and industrialization.

The launch of ECA’s flagship publication - The Economic Report on Africa 2016 – on the theme Greening Africa’s Industrialization which was produced and managed by ECA’s Special Initiatives Division and Macroeconomic Policy Division, is another highlight of the more than 30 side events to be held during the Africa Development Week.

Issued by:

Africa Climate Policy Centre

Special Initiatives Division

UN Economic Commission for Africa