Paris, France, 05 December 2015 – To achieve the ambitious aim of the 21st session of the Conference of Parties (COP21) of keeping global warming below 2°C and minimizing the negative impact of climate change, a number of interventions and initiatives will be required to respond to climate change and improve upon the livelihoods on the African continent. One such intervention is the Regional Flagship Programmes (RFPs).

Under the patronage of the President of African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) and Minister of Environment for the Arab Republic of Egypt, the NEPAD Agency hosted an event on the sidelines of COP21 to create awareness on the RFPs and discuss practical ways of implementing the programmes.

"No country can control climate risks it faces on its own. It is predicted that by 2030, dry and arid regions would expand by 10 per cent.  Climate change presents both a challenge and opportunity for will also impact significantly on Africa’s the agriculture sector as African farmers risk losing their croplands" said the.

NEPAD Director of Programme Implementation and Coordination, Mrs Estherine Fotabong-Lisinge at the opening of the side event mentioned that combating climate change is complex and requires the effort of all players at all levels: local, national, regional and international.  “The RFPs have brought together African countries to face challenges linked to the environment and sustainable development."

The side event provided a progress report on the implementation of its five flagship programmes: African Green Economy Partnership (AGEP); Sustainable Land Management, Desertification, Biodiversity and Ecosystems-based Adaptation to Climate Change (LDBE); Partnership for Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) in Africa; African Programme on Sustainable Energy Development; and Africa Integrated Environmental Assessment for Sustainable Development

Speaking at the event, Mohamed Abdel-Monem, Special Adviser to the AMCEN President, took stock of the ongoing climate change negotiations, which have entered a critical stage towards an expected legal agreement at COP21 and emphasised the need to multiply efforts on combatting climate change as African economies depend heavily on climate-sensitive sectors such as agriculture. “Climate change will have serious and adverse consequences for many development sectors in Africa, and threatens the economies and livelihoods of many African countries,” he said.

Participants highlighted the slow disbursement of funding for adaptation projects as a significant cause for alarm and underscored the need to scale-up funding through African resources and highlighted the need for African countries to deal with the negative impacts associated with climate change while seizing at the same economic opportunities linked to those challenges.

Source: NEPAD