By Aaron Yancho Kaah
Ahead of the 2015 Paris climate conference and in line with the call on both state and non-state actors to work towards delivering a fair and equitable climate deal at the twenty-first conference of parties in Paris this December, the coalition of African civil society under the aegis of Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) has presented its latest publication to the general public.
Entitled Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs): A Handbook for Practitioners, the publication aspires to assist countries in drafting their INDCs to conform with accurate technical specifications, using practical models to drive understanding.
With over 50 African countries expected to submit their INDCs to the Secretariat of UNFCCC and the 15th Ordinary Session of AMCEN’s Decision in Cairo on INDCs, the role of African civil society in actively participating and contributing to the process from the national to the regional level remains strategic as they influence policy from all relevant angles.
For African civil society, INDCs must be a total package that takes into account all the elements of adaptation, mitigation, finance, technology development and transfer, capacity building and means of implementation. “In a nutshell, for the continent and other developing countries, INDCs should include the international support needed as well as their proposed domestic actions for both mitigation and adaptation and also for loss and damage, in a way that reinforces an equitable global deal, and reflects the demands and needs of people,” Mwenda added.
