Africa Pavilion @ COP 21

30 November to 12 December 2015. Paris. ClimDev-Africa partners - the African Union Commission (AUC), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency (NPCA) - hosted the African Pavilion during COP21/CMP11.

Side events and exhibitions
The Africa Pavilion’s side events addressed critical themes and fundamental questions central to the climate change negotiation process, as well as the most pressing climate-related issues in relation to Africa’s development agenda.

Covering diverse themes from climate-smart agriculture to energy access, REDD+ to climate finance, the side events provided a platform to share knowledge and experience from a uniquely African perspective. By providing a unique networking hub for researchers and policymakers, scientists and civil society, the Africa Pavilion added important momentum to the official negotiations.

Side events included the Africa Day, Energy Day as well as sessions hosted by representatives from ClimDev-Africa initiatives including the Young African Lawyers Programme and the ClimDev-Africa Youth Platform. The pavilion also hosted a number of exhibitions in the form of posters, videos and slide presentations.

Side events day by day

Monday 30 November 2015

• 10 Million Trees, 10 Million Souls
• Gender, Climate Change and Sustainable Development in Africa: Challenges and Opportunities Post 2015 Agreements
• Financing Climate Change in Africa - NEPAD Climate Fund
• Launch of the World Bank Climate Business Plan (ACBP)
• Community Based Adaptation

Tuesday, 1 December 2015

L-R: President Thomas Boni Yayi, Benin; Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, Chief Executive Officer, NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency; Carlos Lopes, Executive Secretary, UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA); Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, AUC; Akinwumi Adesina, President, African Development Bank (AfDB); Tumusiime Rhoda Peace, Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, AUC; Mohamed A.S Abdel Monem, Advisor to the Minister on African Affairs, Ministry of Environment, Egypt

• Africa Pavilion Launch: High Level Event on African Climate Solutions in the New Climate Change Agreement
• Africa’s Journey in the Global Climate Negotiations: Key Findings of Stocktaking Studies
• Incentives for Pro-Poor Climate Financing
• REDD+in Central Africa: Lessons Learned, Issues and Challenges
• Climate Change: Financing and Capacity Development Challenges

Wednesday, 2 December 2015

• Economic Opportunities in African Drylands for Climate Change Adaptation
• Great Green Wall for the Sahara and the Sahel Initiative (GGWSSI)
• High Level Panel on Water and Climate Change in the context of the SDGs
• Climate Variability in Africa: Implications for Agricultural Transformation
• Financing the Adaptation Gap: Lessons from the Climate Investment Funds
• Addressing Climate Change Adaptation in International River Basin: The Niger Basin Climate Investment Plan

Thursday, 3 December 2015

• Paris Outcome and Africa's Adaptation Need
• Young African Lawyers (YAL) Programme in Support of Africa's Climate Negotiations
• REDD+ Readiness in Ethiopia
• Seizing Opportunity for Africa: Prioritizing Water in the New Climate Financing Mechanism
• Living on the Edge: Saving West Africa's Coastal Assets
• Climate Change, Agroecology, Nutrition, and Food Security: Critical Lessons from Project Interventions in Sub-Saharan Africa

Friday, 4 December 2015

L-R: Martin Frick, Director, Climate Energy and Tenure Division, FAO; Martin Bwalya, Co-chair, Global Alliance for Climate-Smart Agriculture (GACSA); David Nabarro, Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; Frank Rijsberman, CEO, CGIAR; Anette Friis, Knowledge Action Group (KAG), GACSA

• High-level Dialogue on Climate-Smart Agriculture: Global and Regional Perspective
• Scaling Up Innovative Approaches to Climate-Smart Agriculture in Africa
• Low Carbon Development, Climate-Smart Agriculture and Food Security
• Piloting Innovative Solutions for Climate Information Services in Africa: Lessons, Best Practices and Scaling Up of Results from ClimDev-Africa Phase I
• Strengthening Climate and Disaster Resilience in Sub-Saharan Africa
• Integrating Climate Services Information Systems and Policymaking for Development of Smart African Agriculture and Energy Sectors

Saturday, 5 December 2015

L-R: Youba Sonaka, Advisor, South Centre, University of Surrey; Shri Prakash, Distinguished Fellow, TERI; Fatima Denton, Director, Special Initiatives Division, UNECA; Muawia Shaddad, President, Horn of Africa Regional Environment Centre and Network (HoA-REC); Abel Musumali, Executive Director, Eastern and Southern Africa Youth Climate Alliance

• Climate-Smart Food Systems for Enhanced Nutrition
• Will Paris Pave the Way for Africa's Prosperity and Transformation?
• How Do We Mobilize Climate Finance for Green Growth in Africa?
• Climate Research for Development in Africa
• Regional Flagship Programmes: Africa's Green Growth Strategies
• Non-Carbon Benefits of REDD+ in Africa

Monday, 7 December 2015

L-R: Kurt Lonsway, Manager, Environment and Climate Change, African Development Bank (AfDB); Nicholas Stern, Co-chair, Global Commission on the Economy and Climate; Hela Cheikhrouhou, Executive Director, Green Climate Fund (GCF); Fatima Denton, Director, Special Initiatives Division, UNECA; Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Commissioner, Global Commission on the Economy and Climate; Andrew Norton, Director, International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED); Eric Postel, Associate Administrator, US Agency for International Development (USAID); Nick Hurd, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, DFID

• Climate Change in Africa: Financing Sustainable Pathways for Development
• The Effective Deployment of Mitigation Finance: Lessons from the Clean Technology Fund (CTF)
• Africa Climate-Smart Agriculture Alliance: Agriculture and Climate Change
• Low Carbon Ethiopia: Vision and Action
• Africa and Agriculture: Increasing Land Use Efficiency for Food Security and Mitigation
• Eco-innovation Strategies for Tackling Climate Change in Africa

Tuesday, 8 December 2015

L-R: Carlos Lopes, Executive Secretary, UNECA; Olushola Olayide, Head, Division of Environment, Climate Change, Water and Land Management, African Union Commission (AUC); Richard Sezibera, Secretary General, East African Community (EAC); Khaled Fahmy, Minister of Environment, Egypt, and President, African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN); Shiferaw Teklemariam, Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Ethiopia; Tumusiime Rhoda Peace, Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, AUC; Elham Mahmoud Ahmed Ibrahim, Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy, AUC; Anthony Nyong, Manager, Compliance and Safeguards Division, African Development Bank (AfDB)

• Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs): Implications, Prospects and Africa’s Readiness to Contribute to Solutions
• Advancing Low Carbon Development in the West African Region
• Building Resilience to Climate Change in African SIDS: Implementation of the S.A.M.O.A. Pathway
• Climate-proofing Africa’s Long-term Assets: Presenting the Africa Climate Resilient Investment Facility

Wednesday, 9 December 2015:

L-R: Mahama Kappiah, Executive Director, ECOWAS Regional Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE); Shiferaw Teklemariam, Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Ethiopia; Judi Wakhungu, Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Water and Natural Resources, Kenya; Elizabeth Dipuo Peters, Minister of Transport, South Africa; Jabulane Mabuza, Minister of Tourism and Environmental Affairs, Swaziland; Elham Mahmoud Ahmed Ibrahim, Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy, AUC; Carlos Lopes, Executive Secretary, UNECA; Adnan Z. Amin, Director-General, IRENA; Jesca Eriyo, Deputy Secretary General, East African Community

• Climate Change and the Global Renewable Energy Revolution: Is Africa Ready?
• Coordination of Pan African Energy Initiatives
• Creating Enabling Environments for Private Sector Finance for Renewable Energy in Africa
• The Electricity Model Base for Africa (TEMBA)
• Skills and Human Capital Development for Green Growth and Climate Adaptation and Green Jobs in Africa
• Responding to Climate Change in Small Islands and Coastal States in Africa, Carribbean and the Pacific Region

Thursday, 10 December 2015:

L-R: Axel Olearius, Director, Climate Policy Support Programme, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ); Phyllis Ombonyo, Director of Business Development, NETFUND, Kenya; Kurt Lonsway, Manager, Environment and Climate Change, AfDB; Rose Mukankomeje, Director General, Rwanda Environment Management Authority; Anthony Nyong, Manager, Compliance and Safeguards Division, AfDB; David Craig, Senior Advisor, Green Climate Fund (GCF)

• Advancing Africa’s “Readiness” for Climate Resilient, Low Carbon Development and Green Growth
• Showcasing Ethiopia’s Climate Resilient Initiatives
• Carbon Tax: A Catalyst for Regional Integration in Southern Africa?
• Make Visible the Research Activities and Promote Existing Expertise of the CAMES Space

Friday, 11 December 2015:

• Climate for Development in Africa Youth Platform
• Agroforestry and REDD+ in Africa
• Mainstreaming Climate Change into the Post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals in Africa: Why Sustainability Matters

Background: 
Scaling-up debate from CCDA-V and ACTS.
ClimDev-Africa’s flagship events held in the lead-up to COP21 - The Fifth Climate Change for Development in Africa (CCDA-V) and Africa Climate Talks (ACTs) - provided unique platforms for reviewing the progress of past negotiations, anticipating the outcomes of COP21 and exploring approaches for how Africa can be most effective in influencing the Paris agreement. The Africa Pavilion provided an essential space to scale-up these solution-focused debates on the biggest climate change issues facing Africa. Related links: AfDB COP21 ; African Union COP21