As momentum towards Paris gathers steam, the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance, in collaboration with ForumCC Tanzania and the Adaptation Fund NGO Network, are hosting the first East African Civil Society Adaptation Conference from 7– 8th May 2015 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
The inaugural East African Conference seeks to bring together Civil Society from the region to assess climate change regional issues and forge a sustainable regional platform for learning and sharing experiences in order to accelerate actions across the region. These actions will culminate with the launch of The East African Civil Society Regional Hub on Climate and Environmental issues.
The conference comes at a time when climate change remains one of the major development challenges for East African countries whose citizens mostly rely on climate-sensitive economic activities, most notably agriculture.
With the mobilization towards the Paris Climate deal under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Secretariat, vulnerable developing countries have the most to gain from stronger global climate change governance and face the highest degree of risk stemming from the inadequacies of current mitigation efforts and the international availability of climate finance for adaptation.
In essence, the agreement to be attained at COP21 would have to ensure that the world adapts to the impacts of climate change; and mitigation is undertaken seriously at a level that would ensure the elimination or reduction of some of the worst impacts of climate change.
The organisers in a statement said “this conference is vital in ensuring continual strengthening of sustainable Civil Society engagements and coordination at all levels: local, national and regional. In addition, It is important to continuously build Civil Society capacities through learning and sharing experiences in order to accelerate adaptation actions at all levels.”
“The Hub will thus serve as a platform to facilitate information, knowledge and experience sharing in climate change and environmental issues among East African Civil Society and other stakeholders. It is also expected to further strengthen cooperation and coordination of actions and engagements between civil society and other stakeholders on climate change and environmental issues,” the statement further added.
