COP26 will offer nothing to African people

Glasgow 8 November 2021: The second first week of the 26^th edition of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, popularly known as COP 26, ended without signals of success, with African delegates and civil society terming the summit a potential failure.

Speaking on Saturday during the Global Day of Action that was marked by street demonstrations around the City of Glasgow in Scotland that is playing host to Summit, Mithika Mwenda, the Executive Director of PACJA, accused industrialised countries of circumventing the multilateral process under UNFCCC to ensure that climate action serves their nationalistic interests. “Rich countries’ priority now is to use climate change as another strategic imperialistic and dominance tool,” said the Executive Director of the Nairobi-based organization, arguably the largest civil society network across the African continent, “ We warned our governments in Paris that they were tricked by signing a suicidal pact that was not to serve their interests and now they have come to realise.”

“What brought us here are issues such as climate finance, adaptation and special  needs and circumstances region status. But they have been expunged from the COP 26 agenda. I don’t think anything will come up from this COP,” said Mithka. He said what is coming from the discussion rooms show lack of political will, and that this lack inaction is going to impact future generations.  

He said Africa is not being listened to, but said through the street demonstration; civil society groups want the leaders to know that it no longer going to be business as usual and that people will no longer be coming up year in and out for COP to witness failure and inadequate focus on the continent’s aspirations. 

“With this march we are able to articulate issues which are not heard from the halls of negotiations which have largely excluded voices of people at the frontline of climate crisis. We will shout from the depth of our hearts until we make it itchy for rich countries to avoid us. We want to make citizens of Glasgow and rest of the rich world that the windows for endless discussion for leaders are nearing an end. We want the global communities to know that the solution to climate change will not come from the these privileged rooms, rather people and communities take it upon themselves to find solutions.

The march drew people all walks of life, from pressure groups, NGOs to smallholder farmers, fisherfolk, women, the youth and the vulnerable communities and the indigenous communities.

Dr Godwin Ojo from Friends of the Earth Nigeria noted that he got motivated to step out to demonstrate in bad weather because like any other African, he is fed up with the exclusionary tendencies governing the discussions in Glasgow. 

Noting that the groups have failed to adequately get a physical platform to express their views, Ojo decried the way they have sent numerous memos to leaders without getting a hearing. “They are all here out of frustrations and see this street march as their only solution to be heard or their concern to the powers that be,” he said.