According to Dr. Adesina, civil societies are critical to Africa’s resilience to climate change.
Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank Group (http://www.AfDB.org), says civil society organizations are critical partners in the Bank’s efforts to strengthen the continent’s resilience to climate change.
On Thursday, Adesina addressed the opening plenary of the 2022 Civil Society Forum in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, highlighting the African Development Fund’s Climate Action Window, which will mobilize up to $13 billion to provide 20 million farmers with climate-smart agricultural technologies and 20 million farmers and pastoralists with weather-indexed insurance. In addition, the scheme will restore 1 million hectares of degraded land and provide renewable energy to approximately 9.5 million people.
“We will need you, civil society organizations, to strongly advocate for and support the Fund’s 16th replenishment, as it holds great promise for assisting the most vulnerable in the face of climate change devastation,” the Bank’s chief said at the forum.
The African Development Fund is the African Development Bank Group’s concessional window for assisting eligible African countries in strengthening their economic capacity, reducing poverty, and promoting economic and social development. Countries that contribute to ADF are currently debating its next financial replenishment.
The theme of the two-day forum was “Engaging Civil Society for Climate Resilience and Just Energy Transition.” It fostered an open dialogue with civil society actors, allowing them to share their perspectives and proposals ahead of the global climate summit, COP27, which is set to take place in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm El Sheikh in mid-November.
According to Adesina, COP27 should help refocus attention on Africa’s needs and priorities. He also praised African civil society organizations for their efforts to improve the continent’s resilience and adaptation to climate change.
Dr. Beth Dunford, the Bank’s Vice President for Agriculture, Human, and Social Development, emphasized the importance of civil society as a vital link between the bank and African communities. “We are all in this together to build climate resilience and bring about positive change.””
Dr. Kevin Kariuki, Vice President for Power, Energy, Climate, and Green Growth, believes that for Africa to meet its socioeconomic development needs, it must double its energy consumption by 2040. To that end, Kariuki stated that “the Bank is committed to engaging in continuous and constructive dialogue with all African climate change stakeholders, including civil society, to deliver tangible results and ensure a successful COP27 for Egypt and Africa.”
Kolyang Palebele, president of the Panafrican Farmers Organization, called for the inclusion of resilience in national development plans and challenged African governments to put the Malabo Declaration on Accelerated Growth and Transformation of Agriculture in Africa for Shared Prosperity into action. “Time is of the essence. We must respond quickly to climate shocks.
The diplomats in Abidjan also expressed strong support for the continent’s climate change goals.
Lee Sang Ryul, the Republic of Korea’s Ambassador to Côte d’Ivoire, praised the African Development Bank’s efforts to ensure accountability by collaborating closely with civil society organizations. He reaffirmed his country’s commitment to assisting the continent’s growth through energy projects and institutional capacity building.
Wael Badawi, Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt to Cote d’Ivoire, assured the audience that civil society will be represented at COP27. “Egypt will organize thematic days on the margins of COP27 as panel discussions in which we seek a balanced participation from States, the private sector, and civil society organizations, primarily to address issues such as finance, new and emerging technologies.”
During the opening ceremony, Adesina, an African Union Youth Advisory Board Member, Soumaya Zaddem, and Salif Traore, founder of the Magic System Foundation and UNESCO and UNHCR ambassador, held a high-level conversation.
This was followed by civil society organization induction and accountability sessions on the Bank’s civil society engagement.
The 2022 forum was part of the bank’s outreach to stakeholders in the run-up to COP27.
Speech by President Adesina (https://bit.ly/3rFZNoW)
Speech by Vice President Kariuki (https://bit.ly/3rEuf2V)
APO Group distributes on behalf of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB).
Contact:
Amadou Mansour Diouf I Communication and External Relations Department, media@afdb.org
