Two-day PACJA side event at the CCDA Conference in Cape Verde to spotlight bottlenecks in gender-sensitive Climate financing

The Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) has lined up a number of activities this week at the 9^th Conference on Climate Change and Development in Africa (CCDA-IX) taking place in Cape Verde from September 13 to 17, 2021.

The Climate Change and Development in Africa Conference (CCDA) series of conferences are a flagship dialogue space of the ClimDev-Africa initiative, composed of a partnership of the Africa Union Commission (AUC), African Development Bank (AfDB), United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA).

CCDA-IX is expected to bring together a wide range of stakeholders and interested constituencies, including policymakers, technocrats, parliamentarians, the African Group of Negotiators on climate change; researchers, academia, climate think-tanks, civil societies, youth, women groups, and indigenous groups.

Other notable stakeholders who will grace the conference include development partners, local government representatives, international organizations, and members of the private sector.

The overall objectives of the conference are geared towards launching a continent-wide debate on what a just transition for Africa should look like and how the continent can develop appropriate frameworks to prepare for the just transition.

With increasing global attention on averting, minimising, and addressing the impact of climate change among States in Africa and other regions, in accordance with the UN Secretary General’s Six Positive Climate-Positive Actions to Rebuild Economies Better from the COVID19 Pandemic and as preparations for the 26th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26) advance, this event takes place at a timely moment.

One key side event PACJA has lined up over the next two days from September 13-14, 2021 include; Advancing Equitable, Just & Gender Sensitive Climate Finance for All whose aim is to discuss the bottlenecks and challenges to gender-sensitive climate financing. It will also look at what else needs to be done by governments, agencies, banks, and the private sector to align financial flows with the financial needs of the poorest and most vulnerable communities, and particularly with women and girls.

This side event is an opportunity for attendees to learn more about the platform Advancing Equitable, Just & Gender Sensitive Climate Finance for ALL which was inaugurated in November 2020 as part of the COP 26 Race to Zero Conference, and with former Irish President and outspoken climate justice advocate Mary Robison as Special Advisor. A joint initiative by PACJA, African Development Bank and the Centre for Climate Justice at Glasgow Caledonian University, the platform is a collection of initiatives amalgamated around the objective of building resilience to climate change by addressing the needs and roles of women, youth, communities and leaders at all levels through equitable and just climate finance.