AFRICA DAY: Ministers of AU Member States and stakeholders hold panel discussion at COP19

Warsaw, Poland 19 November 2013- “solutions to address African agriculture in the face of adverse impacts of climate change cannot be effective unless they are supported by appropriate means of implementation such as finance and technology transfer and development”, this was stressed by H.E Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC) during the Africa Day panel discussion at COP19 on 19 November 2013, in Warsaw, Poland.

In her statement, delivered by Commissioner Rhoda Peace Tumusiime of the AUC Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture, Dr. Dlamini Zuma said Africa considers that adequate finance and technology are essential for the development of the African Agricultural Agenda. “We continue to call for all polluters to commit to ambitious green house gas emission reductions which otherwise would continue to undermine our development trajectory”, the Chairperson said.

Under the theme Climate Change and Agriculture in Development and Ending Hunger in Africa, Ministers and participants exchanged views and shared experience on issues of agriculture in the global climate change negotiations, mainstreaming climate change adaptation into the African development agenda, innovative research and technologies for adaptation to climate change in African agriculture, and options for financing climate change adaptation in African agriculture.

Dr. Dlamini Zuma highlighted that the celebration of the Africa Day at COP 19 is further unique because of the celebration of 50 years anniversary since the founding of the Organization of the African Unity (OAU), and 10 years since the birth of the African Union (AU) under the theme “Pan Africanism and the African Renaissance. She further noted that Pan Africanism represents the movement to unite Africa and the people of African Descent the world over, working together in solidarity, to fight against injustice including climate justice.

“The two dimensions of the theme are centrally connected to the ideas that Africa is speaking with a unified strong voice in the global climate change negotiations under the able leadership and guidance of a unified structure of the Committee of the African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC) and the African Ministerial Conference of Environment (AMCEN) serviced by the African Group of Negotiators on Climate Change (AGN)”, she said. (The full statement of the Chairperson is available on www.au.int).

On the margin of the UNFCCC COP19, the Africa Day panel discussion was jointly organized by the African Union Commission (AUC), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the Africa Development Bank (AfDB). The event brought together African Ministers, delegates, experts, civil society organizations, RECs representatives, development partners, and media representatives among others.

Further information and media inquiries:
Mr. Molalet Tsedeke
Directorate of Information and Communication
AU Commission
molalett@africa-union.org; molalet24t@yahoo.com
Tel: +48 51 7665 081