MARRAKECH, Morocco (PAMACC News) - Deliberations at the ongoing COP22 climate conference in Marrakech took a different turn today as delegates shifted focus to the nexus between water and climate change in celebration of the first Water Day at the COP.Organized for the first time in the history of UN Climate Change Conferences, the Action Day for Water at the ongoing UN Climate Change Conference in Marrakech (COP22) created through the Global Climate Action Agenda calls for more attention to water as a way of providing solutions to help implement the Paris Agreement.The action day which is dedicated to discussing the relationship between water issues and climate change-positioning and to raise its profile in the relevant negotiations, attracted large number of participants from Government delegations, international organisations, civil society and media.At the first session which centred on the “Water for Africa” initiative, panellists which included Water and Sanitation Ministers from Morocco, Burkina Faso and Niger as well as the Water and Sanitation Director of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Mohammed El Aziziidentified water as a critical element for successful climate change mitigation, as many efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions depend on reliable access to water resources.Highlighting Africa’s water-related challenges within the climate context, NiougaAmbroiseOuedraogo, Burkina Faso’s Water and Sanitation Minister regretted that as much as most impacts of climate change in Africa are linked to droughts, floods and sea level rise, many African states still have problems accessing multilateral funds with no capacity to prepare proposals for bankable projects.Reiterating AfDB’s commitment to boosting the capacity of African states to access predictable and fast-tracked financing mechanism to cope with climate-induced water stress, El Azizihighlighted the bank’s constant focus on integrated water resources management, improved transboundary integration and planning, and proactive innovative approaches and projects that are assisting African states to adapt to the impacts of climate change.Some of such projects which cut across all African sub-regions according to El Azizi are the Thwake multi-purpose water resources development project in Kenya which mainstreams climate resilience by improving water security through the construction of dam, irrigation schemes and water supply, the Yaoundé urban drainage project in central Africa, and the Niger Basin HYCOS Project which promotes effective management of water resources through quality hydrological data and information in west African states.Others according to the AfDB water chief who also doubles as the Director of the African Water Facility (AWF) are the detailed plan of the Songwe River Basin Development Programme in Southern Africa which envisions a conducive environment for transboundary water resources through flood control planning and climate proofing in the Songwe river basin between Malawi and Tanzania,and the Rabat-Cassablancaand Marrakech region projects which involve water transfer from surplus basins to deficit basins in the north African country of Morocco.At the Global Climate Action Dialogue on Water which rounded off the Water Day celebration, Parties and the non-Parties explored sustainable initiatives on Water and socio-economic development, financing mechanism to increase ambitions related to adaptation and mitigation of water field, and Improving knowledge,…

A la salle 1 du pavillon Afrique de la COP 22 à Marrakech, il était question le mercredi 9 novembre 2016, de l’Initiative africaine pour les énergies renouvelables (IAER, en anglais : AREI). Ce plan de développement énergétique de l’Afrique, lancé il y a un an à Paris bénéficie d’un réel soutien des bailleurs de fonds, du secteur privé et de la société civile africaine.Au COP21 en France, l’annonce de l’IAERavait peut-être fait quelques sceptiques. Mais au Maroc, l’adhésion africaine s’est faite sentir pour accompagner cet ambitieux projet vers l’installation d’une capacité énergétique renouvelable à grande échelle sur le continent africain d’ici 2020. Ce qui aurait un impact considérable sur la réduction des émissions de gaz à effet de serre du continent.« C’est ce type d’initiative dont nous avons besoin », a réagi heureuxTosiMpanuMpanu, Président du groupe des Pays les moins avancés (PMA), dont l’Afrique compte 34 Etats sur les 42 membres. « C’est un projet qui apporte des solutions. Il permet de renforcer la coopération entre les pays. Il nous faut travailler la main dans la main pour sa réalisation. Ce plan doit mieux servir les PMA africains et identifier les besoins des autres PMA sur les autres continents », s’est-ilréjoui Pour SokonaYouba, vice-président du Groupe d’experts intergouvernemental sur l’évolution du climat (Giec) et un des initiateurs de l’Initiative, l’IAER doit donner l’électricité à tous les africains, tout en combattant le changement climatique.« Notre ambition est de produire 300 GW d’électricité en 2030. Ce n’est rien du tout. Car nous devons satisfaire le maximum de personnes », a-t-il avancé, appelant à une coopération intra-régionale sur les projets. « Tout type d’énergie renouvelable doit être promu. Nous devons mobiliser les capacités en Afrique, les renforcer là où il n’existe pas. Nous avons un calendrier à respecter », a prévenu Youba. Début du financementPour accompagner ce vaste projet, un certain nombre d’engagements avait été pris dans la capitale française en décembre 2015 et commence à se traduire en acte. Le 6 novembre 2016, le gouvernement français et la Banque africaine de développement (BAD) ont signé à Abidjan, un accord d’un montant de 6 millions d’euros (7,8 millions de dollars) pour la mise en œuvre de l’IAER. Ces ressources doivent permettre de mettre sur pied l’Unité d’exécution de l’Initiative, que la BAD s’est proposée d’héberger.Lors du panel du mercredi, le Directeur du département financier de la BAD,StéphaneNalletamby a confirmé l’engagement de l’institution à encadrer l’Initiative. « La BAD a désormais un département dédié aux énergies renouvelables et va accompagner la mise en œuvre des CPDN (Contributions déterminées au niveau national). La Banque soutient le projet de l’Initiative et nous y investirons 2 milliards de dollars entre 2017 et 2020 », a annoncé Nalletamby. Il est à souligner qu’au moins 5 milliards de dollars des États-Unis de financement public ainsi que de financement à des taux préférentiels de sources bilatérales, multilatérales et autres, y compris le Fonds vert pour le climat, seront nécessaires entre 2016 et 2020 pour exercer un effet de levier…

MARRAKECH, Morocco (PAMACC News) - Experts at the ongoing climate talks in Marrakech have advocated the development and adoption of a policy and strategic framework that support expansion and mainstreaming of sustainable tourism certification in Africa.Speaking at a side event in the Africa pavilion on the second day of the COP22 climate conference, water and tourism experts were unanimous in their view that African states should encourage and incentivise green certification of tourism, specifically in relation to monitoring and reducing water and waste.This, according to them, will set the stage for existing African and International certification programs to have adequate criteria, and established processes and systems for working with the hotel sector to assess and monitor their waste and water management systems. In addition to other environmental, social and socio-economic components of sustainable tourism, the framework will provide a mechanism to recognise that certification standards use a common and comprehensive approach to sustainability as well as summarise existing monitoring data being gathered by national tourism authorities and international/regional certification bodies specifically relating to the accommodation sector in Africa.According to Dr. Anna Spenceley, a consultant with the African Development Bank (AfDB), African states can integrate sustainability criteria into their hotel quality-rating programs as a way of supporting Sustainable Development Goal 12 which places emphasis on responsible consumption and production, and also contribute to the objectives of the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Tourism. Jean Michel Ossete, the Coordinator of the African Water Facility, jointly sponsored by the AfDB and the African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW) believes that the AfDB could support member states to raise awareness on the benefits of sustainable tourism certification in Africa particularly those with currently low levels of certification,improve linkages between established certification programs and member states, where there the program is aligned with the country’s objectives, and providing guidance on the design and implementation of incentives to promote improved waste and water management.Recognising that sustainable tourism certification provides an independent mechanism for evaluating and measuring water and waste management in African hotels, Oseloka Zikora of the African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW) advocated support for the development of national waste and water management capacity, to ensure that countries are able and willing to establish and enabling policy framework for good practices, and that hotels can implement them. “This should be done by providing technical advice and mentoring to governments on how they can promote better water and waste management and certification in the hotel sector through congruent policies, including through incentives, commissioning and sharing research findings on the financial and non-financial benefits of certification, and of good waste and water management practices, that provides clear quantification of the benefits that can be understood by decision makers,” Zikora added.He further recommended the adoption of a train-the-trainers approach to making the outreach cost effective and locally relevant, as well as establish an online resource library containing tools on waste and water management, training guides and case study examples. The experts also agreed on the need to…

MARRAKECH, Morocco (PAMACC News) - Africa should avoid the ‘Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) trap’ by perpetually pushing capacity building and miss out on serious climate funding opportunities, Dr Balgis Osman Elasha of the African Development Bank (AfDB) has said.Dr Osman Elasha, who is the Principal Climate Change officer at the bank’s Quality Assurance and Results Department, says “Africa could not benefit from the CDM because it was caught up in the capacity building mode while others were taking action.”CDM of the Kyoto Protocol provided for emissions reduction projects aimed at to assist parties not included in Annex I in achieving sustainable development and compliance with their quantified emission limitation and reduction commitments.“For Africa to benefit from the Paris Agreement, we should, this time avoid the CDM trap”, Dr. Osman Elasha told delegates at an AfDB side event on day two of the UN Climate Change conference currently holding in Marrakech, Morocco.Discussing ‘Access to means of Implementation-key concern for Africa post COP 21’, Dr. Osman Elasha said there is no room for Africa to waste on capacity building while the rest of the world would be taking action.The panel discussion focused on the challenges that Africa faces and windows of opportunities that the continent could take advantage of, in the implementation of the Paris Agreement.Seen as a historic Agreement and fastest international treaty to enter into force, the Paris Agreement which is anchored on the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), places obligations on all Parties to fulfil what is contained in their climate action plans.However, for Africa, several gaps have emerged, one of which is the vagueness of most African countries’ NDCs, even before the bigger issue of means of implementation (finance and technology transfer) is brought into picture.“The way forward is a major challenge for most developing countries—it’s not just about getting the money but also what to do with it to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement,” said Kurt Lonsway, Manager for the Climate and Environment portfolio at AfDB.Lonsway, however, was quick to point out that the Bank stands by its commitment to support African states as they seek to rework their climate action plans to ensure that they benefit from available climate funding windows.And in keeping up with the African challenge theme, Advisor of the African Group of Negotiators, Seth Osafo lamented the lack of in-country coordination among key climate players in most African countries.“While it is collectively agreed that there is lack of capacity to develop bankable projects to access climate finance, another African tragedy is the lack of coordination within African countries,” said Osafo, adding that some country focal points end at representing their countries at negotiations without sharing key decisions with other key players in their respective countries.Osafo, who is former legal advisor at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), observed the need to improve in-country linkages especially between the Ministries of Environment, which, in most African countries, carries the climate change portfolio, with Finance.“For example, the ministries of finance are the…