BONN, Germany (PAMACC News) - At the UN climate talks, Civil Society Organisations from the global north and south, have raised alarm on what they term as incoherence and exclusion of key stakeholders from the implementation of the Africa Renewable Energy Initiative (AREI). At a meeting with the EU Head of Delegation, at the on-going climate talks in Bonn, Augustine Njamnshi, Coordinator of the African Coalition for Sustainable Energy and Access (ACSEA) said CSOs from both the global north and south are concerned with the direction of AREI, which he said has completely excluded key stakeholders from the process. “As key stakeholders, we are extremely concerned AREI is almost taking a wrong direction—no information on what is happening and a total exclusion of all key stakeholders,” said Njamnshi. “We thought of engaging you as EU for we know that you remain a key observer and stakeholder of AREI so that you can take responsibility, and help to correct the situation.”Njamnshi said the EU should not only be seen to play its observer role regarding projects, but also show leadership on governance of the project. “The EU was actively involved at a meeting in Brussels at which projects were being discussed, so it is not right to say that the EU is just an observer when there are issues like what is happening where the initiative seems to have taken totally a wrong path, but then become active observers during project matters only,” said Njamnshi. AREI is an Africa-owned and Africa-led initiative of the African Union. It aims at harnessing Africa’s abundant renewable energy resources to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), enhance well-being, and sound economic development by ensuring universal access to sufficient amounts of clean, appropriate and affordable energy for all Africans. As energy is the engine of economic development, AREI also seeks to help African countries leapfrog towards renewable energy systems that support their low-carbon development strategies while enhancing economic and energy security. The Africa Renewable Energy Initiative (AREI) aims towards the installation of 10 GW of new and additional renewable energy generation capacity by 2020 and at least 300 GW by 2030. In so doing, the Initiative aims to ensure access to energy while addressing climate change. AREI was launched at COP21 in Paris in December 2015 and immediately received strong international support from development partners who committed to mobilise at least $10 billion cumulatively to harness Africa’s renewable energy potential and expand energy access across the continent. However, It was heard at a combined meeting of both global north and south CSOs held on the side-lines of the UN Climate talks in Bonn, that the initial administrative and implementation phases (2017 to 2020) of AREI have been marred with uncertainty and secrecy, much to the detriment of the core objective of the Initiative—people centred and decentralised energy systems to reach all Africans who lack access. “Decentralised energy systems should not only be about decentralising equipment but also decentralising decision making systems. And AREI has a…

BONN, Germany (PAMACC News) - The African Group of Negotiators has expressed concern at the waning commitment in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) process by Developed countries. Briefing African Civil society delegates at the on-going Mid-Year session climate talks in Bonn, AGN Chair Mohamed Nasr said little progress has been made this far.After some key issues such as loss and damage and adaptation were deferred from COP 24 in Katowice, and agreed to be dealt with by constituted bodies at the SB50, Nasr said, the expectation was that much progress would have been made by now. “What happened in Katowice was that some elements like article eight on loss and damage, and adaptation and resilience, were pushed forward to the constituted bodies while the elements that relate to transparency, there was nothing constituted. We are fine with that, but what happened in the constituted bodies was really troubling because on loss and damage for example, there are struggling, some partners are renegotiating what we had already agreed; the same is happening with finance, adaptation…so we are concerned thatthis delicate balance that we have isbeing challenged due to changes in the geopolitical dimensions,” said Nasr. He disclosed that the stance on climate finance especially on the replenishment of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) by some countries from the global north such as Australia, is not particularly encouraging. “Australia is saying they are not going to put in money because they are already doing a lot of activities on their own while the US are playing the game of in and out,” said the AGN Chair.And it seems, according to Nasr, there is an emerging dilemma from Africa as well—the discovery of oil and gas. This, Nasr said, has created a complication for the countries that have discovered oil and gas whether to proceed and explore to lift their people out of poverty or forget it for the sake of keeping the world safer. “Coming back to our continent, a lot of countries are discovering oil and gas reserves, for example in East Africa, from Somalia all the way down, countries have discovered huge reserves of oil and gas. In terms of environmental protection, this is very polluting, so the question is what are you going to do with this discovery? So, when we deal with the issue of response measures, this is a challenge we are facing,” explained Nasr. The AGN Chair was however quick to state that there is a lot of commitment from African countries on moving their economies to low carbon pathways but for funding, and recurring climate crises such as the cyclone that hit Southern Africa earlier in the year and the worst drought experienced in East Africa among many others that force them to divert resources meant for development to cope with disasters. It is for this reason that the AGN has consistently been pushing for the adaptation narrative at the climate talks. “We are in this process for two reasons, and…

BONN, Germany (PAMACC News) - An array of experts, political leaders, NGOs and indigenous peoples and communities have agreed to a rights approach as a crucial step in confronting the global climate crisis. Dubbed the ‘gold standard’, the methodology emphasizes rights for Indigenous peoples and local communities. It aims to strengthen respect, recognition and protection of the rights of Indigenous peoples and local communities as stewards and bearers of solutions to landscape restoration, conservation, and sustainable use; end persecution of land and environment defenders; build partnerships to enhance engagement and support for rights-based approaches to sustainable landscapes across scales and sectors; and, scale up efforts to legally recognize and secure collective land and resource rights across landscapes. At the Global Landscapes Forum, held alongside the UNFCCC’s Bonn Climate Change Conference (SB50), the ‘gold standard’ approach was formally presented to kick-start consultations with Indigenous peoples’ organizations and NGOs from 83 countries around the globe who gathered at the summit. The Forum, which every year carries a different theme through its series of events, news, workshops, community outreach and online courses, is focusing 2019 on rights—giving land rights the visibility they need to leapfrog to the top of global discussions, and frame rights as a solution to the climate change crisis. The new standard, developed by the Indigenous People’s Major Group for Sustainable Development (IPMG), working with the Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI), will support the vital work Indigenous peoples and communities are already doing to adapt to global warming, threats to the world’s biodiversity and to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Presentations and expert analysis during the two day summit showcased evidence from around the globe that when the authority of local communities over their forests and lands, as well as their rights, are legally recognized, deforestation rates are often reduced. “By implementing a gold standard, we can both uphold and protect human rights and develop conservation, restoration and sustainable development initiatives that embrace the key role Indigenous peoples and local communities are already playing to protect our planet,” said Joan Carling, co-convener of IPMG. IPMG recognizes that Indigenous and local communities are bearers of rights and solutions to common challenges. “This will enable the partnership that we need to pave the way for a more sustainable, equitable and just future,” added Carling.It is expected the consultations on this ‘gold standard’ will continue until year-end. “It’s clear that when rights of local communities and indigenous peoples are recognized, there are significant benefits for the fight against climate change and environmental degradation,” said Robert Nasi, Director General of the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), which jointly coordinates GLF with UN Environment and the World Bank. “Whoever controls the rights over these landscapes has a very important part to play in fighting climate change,” he said. According to the United Nations, Indigenous peoples make up less than six percent of the world’s population but account for 15 percent of the poorest people. They live in some 90 countries, representing 5,000 different…

 BONN, Germany (PAMACC News) - Climate finance remains a crucial topic at the UN climate talks, as it is the core aspect for implementation of the Paris Agreement. Key issues include fulfilment of climate finance commitment of USD 100 billion per year by 2020, by the developed country Parties as well as transparency and accountability modalities. It is against this background that civil society groups attending the SB50 talks in Bonn have warned the African group of negotiators to stay alert to manoeuvres by the global north to push for climate loans in place of grants. “We are gravely concerned by the trend of commercialising climate action to an extent that the poor people who are supposed to benefit from these finances are left out or are just being used for business interests,” said Mithika Mwenda, Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) Executive Director. “The narrative of loans and other false solutions on climate financingare not welcome. The poor people who are on the frontlines of the climate crisis are urgently looking for real solutions. We therefore urge the African Group of Negotiators to remain steadfast and not fall for the carrots being dangled by the global north." Mwenda said developed countries should just show leadership and live up to their responsibilities by cutting carbon emissions and financially support climate action to address what they caused through their industrialisation activities over the years. And commenting on the concerns, Zambian delegation Coordinator, Carol Mwape Zulu said Zambia is opposed to the commercialisation of climate financing as it goes against the spirit of the convention which respects common but differentiated responsibilities. “The convention is clear on the responsibility of developed countries to provide financial and technical support to developing countries as a moral obligation to address climate change based on the historical context of the climate crisis,” said Mrs. Zulu. “This is also in view that loans overburden our small economies as developing countries.” She said the priorities of African countries revolve around adaptation which is more of a social service than an income generating/revenue source as compared to mitigation measures such as carbon markets that have a revenue component. “In this case therefore, grants become the main and preferred form of support to developing countries. At this session, Zambia has been making submissions for the financial budget of the convention for both the GCF and Adaptation Fund to prioritise grants for adaption in developing countries.” After the landmark Paris Agreement in 2015, it was realised that the colossal sums of money needed for its implementation would require the private sector to get involved. And at COP 22 in Marrakech, a full day was dedicated to Business and Industry at which it was agreed that business had a significant role to play in enabling the global economy to achieve – and exceed – its climate goals. As a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, the private sector was seen as a crucial partner in securing a prosperous and sustainable low-carbon economy for…