PACJA Launches 2022 ACCER AWARDS, calls for submissions

The Pan African Climate Justice Alliance is pleased to announce the launch of the seventh African Climate Change and Environmental Reporting (ACCER) Awards for 2022.

Unlike before, this year’s ACCER Awards holds against the backdrop of the fact that the 27^th Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change will be held in the African soil when Egypt hosts the event later in the year. This fact influenced the decision for the theme; The Role of The Media in Shaping African Narratives Towards COP27And Beyond.

First launched in 2013, the ACCER Awards has continued to grow in terms of the number of submitted articles, the geographical reach of participants and the number of organisations and individuals who wish to partner up for the award.

In addition, thanks to the awards, there has without doubt been an increased interest in the reporting of the climate change and environmental stories, and thus raised the profile of the African narratives within the climate justice discourse. Thus ACCER Awards has and continues to meet the overall goals for which it was first launched in 2013.

The 2022 is very crucial year for Africa and the media coverage of climate change must be seen or harnessed to amplify the African aspirations and narratives within the larger climate discourses ahead of COP27.

Africa is heading into COP27 with some very contentious yet very critical issues still pending. The clamour for recognition as a ‘special needs and circumstances region’ based on the compelling Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports, our demand for enhanced ambition needed for lowering greenhouse gas emissions, a commitment to loss and damage and additional climate finance are key issues for Africa but which were either rubbished, toned down or received minimal attention at COP26 that was held in Glasgow, UK.

Africa’s future as a continent will literally be in our hands at COP 27 and we must not lose this opportunity to unlock key negotiation items that have derailed substantive response to climate crisis and particularly on climate finance, especially in reference to loss and damage

COP27 presents a golden opportunity for Africa to set the pace and steer the climate negotiation. Thus the mainstream and social media will play a key role towards helping Africa dictate the Agenda, texts and content outcomes from COP27 by the way of framing and priming the African narrative.

With this ACCER Awards, PACJA, Africa’s largest coalition of civil society organisations that advocate for fair and just climate regimes for the African people is demonstrating its commitment to partner up with the media in Africa for the betterment of the African society. Let us walk together on this journey.

To participate in the 2022 ACCER Awards, download the submission form by clicking on this link