Climate Justice Torch Campaign rocks Kinshasa this Sunday ahead of John Kerry Pre-COP Event visit

The PACJA DRC Chapter hosts the Climate Justice Torch in Kinshasa ahead of the Pre-COP event on Monday expected to be attended by US President Special Envoy on Climate Change, John Kerry..

The CJT will among others activities provide room for CSOs engagement. At least 6000 people are expected to descend upon the city of Kinshasa with many others taking place in each province.

According to organisers, the national Africa climate torch campaign in the DRC will be made up of members of partner organizations that are members of the Climate Change Network in the Democratic Republic of Congo PACJA Chapter in the DRC, including the DRC Climate Change Network , young people, women, members associations of local players (farmer organisations, producer associations, etc.), media involved in the fight against climate change identified and selected following a call for participation and expression of interest.

The national campaign in the DRC will be done in two stages and in two groups of caravaneers (one group for the capital (Kinshasa) and one group for all the other provinces).

The campaign in Kinshasa will take place throughout the capita and in the provinces, territories and chiefdoms.

The organisers say that at each stage, a popular march with placards and banners and meetings with authorities will be carried out and will be the subject of media and digital coverage, giving the opportunity to more citizens to join the movement online and that advocacy messages and calls for action will be conveyed by the caravaneers to the various authorities to be met during each stage.

About thirty selected caravanners will finally host a press conference and will meet the VPM & Minister of the Environment and Sustainable Development, the President of the Republic and the UNEP Focal Point in the DRC in order to make a statement / plea to of these personalities in order to encourage them to find ways to strengthen the participation of women and young people, in particular through the allocation of quotas to young girls and boys from Africa for physical participation in COP 27.

The CJT will take place against the background of the country hosting the PreCOP preparation workshop in Kinshasa by the COP27 Presidency.   

The Africa Climate Torch Campaign is an initiative of the Pan African Clim 

In addition, the CJT intends to highlight the impacts of climate change on the African

ate Justice Alliance and has aimed at mobilizing local communities – including youth, women’s movements – fishers, farmers and NGOs towards COP27. communities, as well as their environment, highlight climate solutions integrated with traditional and local knowledge, and promote the involvement of young people in climate negotiations in order to prepare them to participate in COP 27 among others.