Highlights of the ACPC participation in COP18

As in previous years, ECA, through the Af­rican Climate Policy Centre (ACPC) and other ClimDev Partners took the lead in providing technical as­sistance that buttressed Africa’s negotiating positions on differ­ent climate change issues dur­ing the most recent Climate Conference in Doha, Qatar (from 26 November - 7 Decem­ber, 2012). Key ClimDev Pro­gramme partners include: the African Union Commission (AUC) and the African Devel­opment Bank (AfDB).

These partners work in tan­dem to support African coun­tries in their struggle to cope with the impacts of climate change, given the formidable threat that they pose to the Continent – hampering of eco­nomic progress and the fight against poverty. The partici­pation of ClimDev in general and that of ACPC in particular, at the Conference focused on three areas: (i) assess the pro­gress on the ClimDev Special Fund (CDSF) of the ClimDev-Africa program and strategize on the fund’s effectiveness; (ii) provide policy support to the African Group of Negotiators (AGN) in the negotiations pro­cess; and, (iii) discuss existing partnerships and identify op­portunities for credible collabo­ration on the work programme in countries.

A close look at each of the three areas shows that the Cen­tre made significant progress in pushing ahead the overall ClimDev agenda. For example, at the end of the workshop on the CDSF and proposals devel­opment, the 14 concepts notes submitted earlier by AfDB now form the basis for projects that the Fund could finance. The Acting Co-ordinator of the Fund, Dr. Tounkara described the process as a major step for­ward.

Partners and, more impor­tantly donors, recommitted to greater investments in climate services. Most significantly, African Ministers present at a dinner dialogue all agreed that their nations have a stake in in­vesting in climate services.

The African Group of Ne­gotiators (AGN) confirmed its choice of ACPC as its main strategic partner in capac­ity strengthening, research and communication activities. A workshop is being planned to formalize and identify concrete deliverables in the programme.