AFRICAN CSOs STATEMENT ON CLIMATE RESILIENCE AT MAJOR AND INTERMEDIARY CITIES

Kisumu, Kenya May 20, 2022: Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA),) and its partners comprising civil society actors, academia, representatives of women and youth movements met in Kisumu on the 17^th to the 21^st of May 2022 for the “The 9^th Edition of the Africities Summit”.

The summit aimed at consolidating the African voices on “The role of intermediary cities in Africa in the implementation of the United Nations 2030 Agenda and of the African Union´s Agenda 2063.”

Specifically, the consultative convening focused on:

• Unpacking and positioning African cities in climate change mitigation, adaptation and resilience for an accelerated realisation of the United Nations 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063 of the African Union.

• Detailing the role of cities, local governments and urban areas in the design of urban climate action plans and strategies aligned with the Glasgow Climate Pact on Climate Finance, Mitigation, Adaptation and Loss and Damage.

• Delivering a common understanding, voice and roadmap for the African cities’ governance aligned with the Paris Agreement and the UNFCCC processes involving national governments, non-state actors and CSOs as defined by the Marrakech Partnership Global Climate Action, in preparation for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change COP27 in Africa.

During the five days, participants recalled the worsening impacts of climate change in African cities and intermediary urban areas, the regrettable lack of commitment in enhancing adaptation and mitigation financing by the high emitter countries and the slow progress of climate negotiations related to cities, especially on city level adaptation and loss and damage agenda items.

After considering the views of all the stakeholders, the CSOs issued a communique. Download the Communique