Ministers of AU Member States and stakeholders exchange views on the African Common Position towards the new climate change agreement

Lima, Peru 10 December 2014- “I believe that the negotiations for a comprehensive deal on climate change next year in Paris have reached a critical stage and it is therefore imperative that we intensify our efforts for a much awaited New Climate Change Agreement to be realized in 2015 to salvage our planet from disasters, provide means of implementation and adaptation in the most vulnerable continent”. Commissioner Rhoda Peace Tumusiime of the African Union Commission, Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture stressed. She added that the New Climate Change Agreement should also incorporate the aspiration of Africa including responses targeting women and youth.

Under the theme ‘Africa in a post-2015 new climate change agreement’ and in the Frame work of the 20th Conference of the Parties (COP20) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 10th Session of the Conference of Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (KP), COP20/CMP10, the Africa Day side event has been held on 10 December 2014 in Lima.

In her statement, delivered by Ms. Olushola Olayide, Officer in Charge of Environment, Climate Change, Water and Land Management; and AUC focal person to the UNFCCC;
Mr. Tumusiime expressed her satisfaction the way the different stakeholders are working vigorously in the global climate change negotiations, particularly; African Group of Negotiators (AGN) and African Ministerial Conference of Environment (AMCEN), under the leadership of the CAHOSCC. (The full statement of the Commissioner is available on www.au.int).

“Africa is attending COP20/CMP10 with great expectations as we anticipate that important milestones will be reached here in Lima that will lay a strong foundation for the adoption of a new Climate Change Agreement during COP21/CMP11 in Paris in 2015. I am therefore convinced that this COP is a major event which Africa should seriously proceed with the hope that significant progress will be made in the multilateral climate change process, building on what was agreed in Warsaw at COP19/CMP9 last year”, the Vice President stressed.
Dr. Bilal underscored the importance of the Africa Day side event since COP17/CMP7 in Durban, South Africa 2012, saying that the Day offers a unique opportunity for Africa to engage the global community in bringing into focus the peculiarity of Africa’s situation both in terms of challenges, opportunities and success stories, which is worth sharing with the international community. “In spite of the limited financial and human resources, Africa has been making positive responses by putting in place institutional mechanisms from the Summit to Ministerial and Expert levels to address this critical issue in terms of adaptation and mitigation of climate change”, he added. (The complete speech of the Vice President is available on www.au.int).

Representing the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), Dr. Fatima Denton, Director of Special Initiatives Division at ECA, said “Today in Lima, Africa has to generate the same will, an equal compulsion and a strong enough resolve to say that we have come a long way since Kyoto, and we stand ready as 54 countries, united in our determination to negotiate a successor treaty that will be rooted in justice, equity and drawing on the principle of common but differentiated responsibility.”

Highlighting Africa’s interest in the post 2015 climate change negotiation, Dr. Denton said that Africa is encouraged to see new pledges of up to $9.3 billion made to the Green Climate Fund, and many African countries are already championing projects demonstrate that a low carbon development pathway will make investment and business sense, especially since the impacts of climate change are oblivious of boundaries. (The full statement is available on www.au.int).

At the end of the panel discussion, moderated by Mr. Alex Rugamba, Director of Energy, Environment and Climate Change Department, at AfDB, the Ministers and the negotiators underscored imperatives of having a new climate change agreement in Paris in 2015, and that this agreement should address the specificities of the African continent.

Further information;

Ms. Olushola Olayide,
Officer In Charge, Environment, Climate Change, Water and Land Management; and AUC focal person to the UNFCCC;
African Union Commission; E-mail: OlusholaO@africa-union.org

Media Contact:
Mr. Molalet Tsedeke,
Directorate of Information and Communication,
African Union Commission; E-mail: molalett@africa-union.org; Tel:

For more information please contact:

For further information contact
Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: dic@african-union.org I Web Site: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia

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