Parliamentarians Dialogue at the ACS 2023

PRESS RELEASE

Parliamentarians Dialogue brings together Legislators from across Africa at the Africa Climate Summit to advance Discourse on Renewable Energy, Green Growth, and Climate Finance Solutions

The Parliamentarians Dialogue was held on 4 and 6 September 2023 during the Africa Climate Summit to explore the role and potential contribution of parliaments to climate action. It also served as a platform for parliamentarians to discuss various implementation pathways from the perspective of legislatures for the delivery of the commitments made during the Summit. Beyond legislative avenues for climate action, the Dialogue also sought to explore avenues for partnerships and collaborations between diverse stakeholders to expand African renewable energy and develop innovative green growth and climate finance solutions. The Dialogue culminated in the passing of the Chairpersons Summary or Outcome Statement of the Parliamentarians Dialogue at the Africa Climate Summit.

The Outcome Statement urges Parliamentarians to hold their governments to account for the commitments made on climate action and to ensure follow-through. It strongly advocates for the transition to renewable energy and for policies that encourage and accelerate the transition to clean and sustainable energy sources that align with Africa’s unique circumstances and respect the continent’s development agenda. The Outcome Statement signals the establishment of a African Parliamentarians’ Working Group on Climate Adaptation underscoring the importance of adaptation in the climate agenda.

The Outcome Statement recognises the important role of youth in shaping climate discourses. Ms. Nakeeyat Dramani Sam, CVF Youth Ambassador, urged participants in the Dialogue to make the voices and ambitions shared by young people heard, and to lead Africa towards a fair, sustainable and green future. She called on rich polluters to “stop climate cheating”. In other words, by ignoring disparities between States, such as historical emissions, when setting climate targets, developed countries are cheating developing ones such as Ghana. Therefore, she urged for enhanced actions to tackle the crisis as vulnerable nations are already experiencing the effects of climate change, despite being less responsible for emissions than many other countries. Unless these rich countries alter their climate targets to do their fair share, the 1.5°C limit set out in the Paris Agreement could be breached by 2030.

The Dialogue also heard from Hon. Sahar Albazar, Member of the Parliament of Egypt and Deputy Chair of the Foreign Relations Committee at the Egyptian House of Representatives, who stressed about the nations’ sense of responsibility in ensuring a liveable planet for future generations. She spoke of the need for the international community to adjust the financing of the fight against climate change, given that heavily indebted countries will be making the transition to a green economy. In her statement, she mentioned the Ubuntu initiative for Climate Financing launched by young parliamentarians from lower middle-income countries including Ghana, Senegal, Egypt and Indonesia. She also highlighted the importance of more debt-for-climate swaps, with an emphasis on adaptation, the immediate suspension of IMF surcharges, which are additional costs over and above interest rates and create an unfair burden for countries, and the importance of creating a common framework for lower middle-income countries, similar to the G20 framework for low-income countries.

Distinguished speakers graced the Dialogue including Rt. Hon. (Dr.) Moses M. Wetang’ula, EGH, MP, Speaker of the National Assembly of Kenya, Prof. Dr. Patrick Verkooijen, CEO of the Global Center on Adaptation, Mr. Amjad Abbashar, Chief of the UNDRR Regional Office for Africa, Ms. Gauri Singh, Deputy Director-General of IRENA, Hon. Bärbel Höhn, Chair of GRC, former MP of the German Bundestag and acting Commissioner for Energy Reform in Africa for the Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development, and Dr. Kandeh Yumkella, Member of Parliament and Chair of the Presidential Initiative on Climate Change, Renewable Energy and Food Security of Sierra Leone.