New initiatives are being launched to assist African smallholder farmers in weathering the effects of climate change.
Two global organizations have signed an agreement aimed at vulnerable groups affected by the crisis.
“We intend to promote projects that promote sustainable development and climate change,” said Pan African Climate Change Alliance executive director Dr Mithika Mwenda.
On Friday, the Alliance signed a pact with the Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens (BKMC) in Nairobi and Vienna.
Aside from smallholder farmers, the collaborative agreement will help women and youth adapt to climate change.
He stated that the two parties will commit to focusing on improving the lives of vulnerable groups “who suffer the most from the climate change crisis.”
Ms Monika Froehler, CEO of BKMC, the organization named after former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, echoed his remarks.
“Our common areas of adaptation and agriculture within the framework of the SDGs,” she explained.
Africa’s geography makes it particularly vulnerable to climate change, as rain-fed agriculture employs 70% of the population.
It was once predicted that rainfed agriculture yields in some African countries would fall by half by this decade.
Due to severe drought, the continent is already under siege from one of the most serious food insecurity crises in recent decades.
Experts predict that a 1°C increase in average global temperature will reduce Africa’s GDP by 2%, and a 4°C increase will reduce Africa’s GDP by 12%.
The historic Paris Agreement, signed by UN member states in 2015 to address the climate crisis, will also be included in the process.
“These – sustainable development goals and the Paris Agreement – were among Dr Ban’s achievements between 2007 and 2016,” she said.
Ms Froehler stated that the signing of the pact between the two bodies was a watershed moment for the affected communities.
Pacja, based in Nairobi, and BKMC, based in Vienna, Austria, have joined forces in the last two UN Climate Conferences, in Glasgow (2021) and recently in Egypt.
Dr. Mwenda stated that the two would further investigate the possibility of participating and collaborating in the agreed-upon joint initiatives.
Both parties will also collaborate on climate change research, identifying policy gaps, and advancing the advocacy drive for climate change adaptation.
BKMC was founded a few years ago to promote peace, youth and women empowerment, climate action, and justice.
Pacja is a consortium of over 1,000 organizations from 51 African countries working together to address climate and environmental challenges.
