KIGALI, Rwanda (PAMACC News) - The 16th Meeting of Parties of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP) kicks off in Kigali, Rwanda on November 21, with over 500 delegates from governments, organisations – both the public and private sectors, representatives from civil society and the academic and scientific community looking forward to developing policies and other means of dealing with the challenges facing the Congo Basin forests.Other issues to be discussed include land use planning, conservation and sustainable use of wildlife resources, including the fight against wildlife trafficking, climate change, sustainable economic development and private sector knowledge-based decision-making among others.So far, Heads of State and Government of the Congo Basin countries have confirmed their commitment to the principles of conservation of the biodiversity and the sustainable management of Central African forest ecosystems, the fundamental rights of their populations to benefit from forest resources and the imperative to reconcile development needs with conservation within the framework of international cooperation.The Kigali conference comes at a time when the Congo Basin forests are facing challenges of growing complexity and gravity.However, the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) points out that in the recent past, there has been substantial progress in conservation activities within the basin. The organization works in four priority landscapes in the CBFP which include Maringa-Lopori-Wamba and Bili Uele landscapes in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Dja Fauna Reserve and Campo Ma’an Park in Cameroon.The Congo Basin Forest covers approximately 180 million hectares and accounts for 30% of plant cover on the African continent, and 19% of the world’s tropical rainforests according to statistics from the African Forest Fotum. The Basin accordingly hosts significant biodiversity and provides key habitat to some of Africa’s most unique and threatened wildlife, including the forest elephant, okapi, and four great ape species: bonobo, chimpanzee, eastern gorilla and western gorilla. It hosts approximately 10,000 plant, 1000 bird, 400 mammal, and 700 fish species, many of which are unique to the Basin. Currently, CBFP comprises more than eighty African and international partner countries and organisations from both the public and private sectors as well as from civil society and the academic and scientific community. It is the most comprehensive regional platform dealing with the challenges facing the Congo Basin forests.Cooperation within CBFP accordingly, aims to support the shared vision of the Central African Heads of State, notably, improving measures taken, including technical and financial support measures, to promote the conservation of biodiversity and the sustainable management of forest ecosystems, to combat climate change and to alleviate poverty in Central African countries in line with the COMIFAC Convergence Plan.

MARRAKECH, Morocco (PAMACC News) - Security experts have called on world leaders to address climate risk in their national, regional and international security planning.Speaking at UN climate change conference in Marrakech in Morocco, they noted that climate change is already contributing to social upheaval and even violent conflict by making bad situations worse."It places stress on water, food and energy resources. It interacts with existing stresses like poverty, marginalisation, ethnic strife, resource stress and religious differences to drive instability. As competition for already scarce resources increases, climate change could halt or even reverse peace and development gains made over the past decade," said Retired Admiral Chris Barrie, Royal Australian Navy Honorary Professor, Strategic and Defence StudiesCentre, Australian National University.Brigadier General Stephen A. Cheney of the US said climate change promises to make many of the complex crises the world currently facesmuch harder to solve. "Unchecked, the effects of a warming climate will force people from their homes, destabilise societies and markets, create new sources of social and political tension, and even contribute to state fragility and failure. All of this can providea vacuum for extremist groups to thrive," he said.Retired US Marine Corps Former Inspector General and CEO, The American Security Project noted that climate change increases in disasters will place additional strain on military and civil response capabilities – often the first responders. Overstretched governments, militaries andhumanitarian teams will struggle to respond to supercharged natural disasters. "Extreme disasters provide an additional, preventable risk that could drive further fragility and conflict in vulnerable regions, and make existing conflicts harder to stabilise," he said.Nick Mabey, Co-Founding Director and Chief Executive E3G, United Kingdom called for integration of climate risk across the whole of government and the holistic management of crises as this will help maintain stability in the face of the worsening impacts of climate change and ongoing security challenges, and can help protect and improve people's safety, health and livelihoods.Dan Smith, Director Stockholm International Peace Research Institute said geopolitical dynamics may change and domestic contexts may shift, but robust security within nations, across borders, and around the world is impossible without building climate resilience, and incorporating climate risk into military operations, tactics, strategy and training."Addressing climate security risks in alliances and major international forums is essential: in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the African Union, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the Organization of American States, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation and the UN Security Council, as well as building on the efforts of the G7 foreign ministers through the A New Climate for Peace project," he said.Retired Lieutenant General Balananda Sharma, Royal Nepalese Army called on world leaders to build on the exemplary international action on climate change achieved in 2015. "We must think beyond energy policy, and integrate climate risk into national, regional and international security planning in a way that is commensurate with the risks," he said.The experts belong to the Climate Security Working Group-International, an international forum of security experts and professionals focused on…

MARRAKECH, Morocco (PAMACC News) - The World Bank and Ithmar Capital have announced the creation of the Green Growth Infrastructure Facility, the first green fund dedicated to Africa. The World Bank Group and Ithmar Capital, have entered into a memorandum of understanding relating to the setting up of a Green Growth Infrastructure Facility for Africa ("GGIF Africa") which primary objective is to catalyse the transition in Africa to a green economy. The two institutions will be supporting resource efficient, low carbon, inclusive growth within the ecological limits of the planet, clean energy and improved energy access, low carbon transportation and logistics including ICT and efficient utilisation of water resources. GGIF AFRICA's intermediate objective is to catalyse and leverage private capital flows for investment in efficient, sustainable, low carbon intensity infrastructure in Africa. World Bank President Dr Jim Yong Kim said climate change is the most significant environmental, economic and social challenges of our time. It poses a substantive threat to the well-being and standard of living today, and for future generations. The COP 22 is mobilising stronger and more ambitious climate action by all Parties and non-Party stakeholders," Kim said. WB's Climate Change Action Plan focus is on the total resources mobilised and catalysed not only on its own account lending, and adjust internal processes and incentives accordingly. "Africa has become a "strategic priority for Morocco''. Relying on its growing economy and European proximity, the Kingdom is working towards becoming a competitive African hub. Morocco is today a key economic and strategic partner for most African economies, as is evidenced by the exponential rise in direct investments in high-value added sectors such as banking, insurance, telecommunications, energy agriculture and social housing," said King Mohammed VI. He added that as the world mobilises to fight climate change and transition to a green economy, it is clear that available public capital would fall far short of the amount needed to avoid a major rise in temperatures. "In this context, GGIF Africa would mobilize capital from the private sector, through public-private partnerships ("PPP") structures at GGIF Africa and project's levels. Public financial contributions would be designed to maximize private investment. The main focus for the GGIF Africa would be deployment of private capital for commercially bankable PPPs, and de-risking marginally non-bankable projects to render them viable. Tools may include innovative mechanisms for project preparation and deal structuring, and strategic design of fund and project capital structures," he said. The World Bank and Ithmar Capital intend to work in close partnership with a broad range of public and private investors, including regional development banks, global and regional institutional investors with the objective to increase private capital participation in green infrastructure investments and achieve resource efficient, low-carbon, low impact and resilient growth in Africa. Dr Akinwumi Adesina, President of the Africa Development Bank (AfDB) said Africa's infrastructure agenda requires a regional approach as there are a large number of national economies under US$10 billion GDP (31), landlocked countries (15) and trans-boundary rivers (60 basins), and…

BY HEADS OF STATES at COP22 We, Heads of State, Government, and Delegations, gathered in Marrakech, on African soil, for the High-Level Segment of the 22nd Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the 12th Session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol, and the 1st Session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement, at the gracious invitation of His Majesty the King of Morocco, Mohammed VI, issue this proclamation to signal a shift towards a new era of implementation and action on climate and sustainable development. Our climate is warming at an alarming and unprecedented rate and we have an urgent duty to respond. We welcome the Paris Agreement, adopted under the Convention, its rapid entry into force, with its ambitious goals, its inclusive nature and its reflection of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, in the light of different national circumstances, and we affirm our commitment to its full implementation. Indeed, this year, we have seen extraordinary momentum on climate change worldwide, and in many multilateral fora. This momentum is irreversible – it is being driven not only by governments, but by science, business and global action of all types at all levels. Our task now is to rapidly build on that momentum, together, moving forward purposefully to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to foster adaptation efforts, thereby benefiting and supporting the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals. We call for the highest political commitment to combat climate change, as a matter of urgent priority.We call for strong solidarity with those countries most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, and underscore the need to support efforts aimed to enhance their adaptive capacity, strengthen resilience and reduce vulnerability. We call for all Parties to strengthen and support efforts to eradicate poverty, ensure food security and to take stringent action to deal with climate change challenges in agriculture.We call for urgently raising ambition and strengthening cooperation amongst ourselves to close the gap between current emissions trajectories and the pathway needed to meet the long-term temperature goals of the Paris Agreement. We call for an increase in the volume, flow and access to finance for climate projects, alongside improved capacity and technology, including from developed to developing countries. We the Developed Country Parties reaffirm our USD $100 billion mobilization goal. We, unanimously, call for further climate action and support, well in advance of 2020, taking into account the specific needs and special circumstances of developing countries, the least developed countries and those particularly vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change. We who are Parties to the Kyoto Protocol encourage the ratification of the Doha Amendment. We, collectively, call on all non-state actors to join us for immediate and ambitious action and mobilization, building on their important achievements, noting the many initiatives and the…