Delivering a truly African People’s COP in Sharma-El-Sheikh, Egypt

Midrand, South Africa, August 29, 2022:The momentum to tackle climate crisis, of course, was slowed down by Covid-19, although majority of stakeholders agree that the twin challenge of climate change and covid-19 should be tackled simultaneously.

As we, in our own individual organisations as well as in our Alliance are now busy strategizing and planning best approaches in the year ahead, I want to help us not miss the bigger picture. But having managed to arrest the spread of Covid-19, world leaders seem to have returned to their usual factory settings – see no evil, hear no evil, feel no evil, until the threat is at your door-step! 

From the 26^th Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, we are aware of the widening gap between the global north and the south in the thinking of finding solutions to the threat of climate change. It was clear from COP26 that while we, in Africa focused on narrowing the gap between the two hemispheres, the global north on the other hand, and in their characteristic norm of loading it over others, once again shifted the goal posts and in no uncertain terms introduced us to their new baby, achieving NetZero which will without doubt pose be an option to gobble resources that would otherwise support some of our agenda.

We, in the global South had all along hoped that we will meet at some middle ground with those in the north, particularly on areas such as adaptation, and loss and damage within the principles of the polluter pay premises. However, the Glasgow meeting and its resultant Glasgow Climate Pact more than ever left sour taste in our mouths. But we refuse to give up hope. Rather, let us go to Sharma-El-Sheikh with the resolve to never give up.

There are key moments that we are capitalising on in the countdown to COP27. I’m just from Libreville, Gabon, where the Africa Climate Week is taking place throughout the week, and where we have pitched the tent to ensure that our demands and aspirations inform the conversations. The AMCEN is coming up in Dakar, Senegal next month while the CCDA-10 will be taking place in October 2022. Then there preparatory processes by the sub-regional bodies like ECOWAS, SADC, EAC, Great Lakes and of course individual countries and Non-State Actors such as civil society, private sector, women, youth, indigenous people, etc. African mobilisation is at the top-gear, and we look forward to a truly African peoples COP that is responsive to our realities.

We should use these consultations to plot our pathways ahead, even beyond COP27. Time to be strategic, time to begin to decipher the coded language of our adversaries and discern the new trajectories is now. One thing am confident about is that within this continent, we have the matching skills and expertise capable of taking the bull by the horn – however powerful it is – we only need to be unified, and resist all efforts to divide us because that is the art those who have refused to take action on climate crisis are good at. I am looking at the human resources within us – in both PAP and PACJA – with renewed enthusiasm knowing that this is a war and not merely a battle.

Africa might have lost the battle in during the past two years, including in Glasgow, but it is incumbent upon us to show the world that Africa is far from losing the war.

Hon. Chair and distinguished members, the remaining two months to COP27 is a busy period. We have to plot and scheme on how best we must stamp our authority in COP27 set in our home soil country of Egypt.

This cannot be achieved by PAP alone, not by PACJA alone, not by AU alone, not by a single individual or institution! We need to unify our efforts. We need to make PAP’s clarion call, one Africa, one voice, our crying anthem.

Aluta continua!

Keynote address by Dr. Mithika Mwenda, Executive Director, PACJA during the capacity building and consultative workshop for African Parliamentarians held in the occasion of the statutory meetings of PAP Permanent Committee meetings