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Non-State Actors Disappointed With Preparations For Africa Climate Summit In Nairobi
Non-State actors seeking to participate in the upcoming Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi have faulted organisers over what they say is being sidelined and deviating from the main agenda of the summit.
In a statement released today, the Africa Climate Summit Non-State Actors (ACS-NSA) expressed deep concern and disappointment over the preparation and agenda of the Summit, raising several critical issues.
The hallmark of the organisational confusion and inertia manifests in the accreditation process where exhausted delegates are tossed from the accreditation venue to the Ministry of Environment for clearance process for what is said to be approval,” the group said in the statement.
Furthermore, ACS-NSA claimed Summit organisers have deliberately failed to ensure adequate participation and consultation of non-state actors, especially those from the most vulnerable and marginalized communities, in the planning and implementation of the Summit.
“The African parliamentarians are more conspicuously missing in the consultation process, yet their representation, legislation, and oversight role is apparent in processes such as the ACS,” the group added.
The group also expressed deep concern that the summit agenda remains too inclined to promote market-based solutions and transnational corporations’ involvement while neglecting the people’s and the planet’s needs and rights.
“We believe that, though we have a few hours to the kick-off of the Summit, we still think that President Ruto and the African Union have an opportunity to rethink the agenda to allow more space for dialogue and action on climate justice, adaptation, finance, loss and damage, and human rights – issues we strongly believe fundamentally crucial for Africa’s wellbeing, but which have tactfully been relegated to the periphery,” the statement read further.
Dubbed Africa Climate Summit 2023, the conference which will be held at KICC between September 4 and September 6 will attract Heads of State and thousands of dignitaries from across the African continent.
The summit will focus on the theme, ‘Driving Green Growth and Climate Finance Solutions for Africa and the World’ and aims to champion a positive, climate-compatible vision for Africa.
On Friday, Nairobi County Police Commander Adamson Bungei said that motorists will be barred from accessing certain roads within Nairobi’s Central Business District (CBD) to allow the summit to proceed smoothly.
He gave a traffic directive and provided alternative routes to motorists in a bid to avoid inconveniences.
ACS-NSA is a pan-African platform advocating for a pro-African agenda in all critical spaces at the summit and beyond. The ACS-NSA has a Secretariat supported by the Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) and is organised into clusters that draw members from regional CSOs, Indigenous People, Faith Actors, Trade Unions, the African Private Sector, Farmer Organizations, Women and Gender Constituencies, Youth Movements, Academia and Research Institutions, Foundations, and Finance Institutions.
