Monday, February 17, 2014

African civil society encouraged to continue climate justice struggle

By Kofi Adu Domfeh

DAKAR, Senegal - The Senegalese government has hailed the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) for its excellent tool of environmental protection and urged them to continue the struggle for climate justice.

Ms. Penda Kante Thiam who represented the Senegalese Minister for Environment urged the African Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) under the auspices of PACJA to keep the faith and to be positive in the struggle for climate justice.


Officiating the opening of a five-day Post-Warsaw strategic meeting in Dakar, Ms. Penda Kante said, “We need you as much as you need us. I believe change starts now and starts with us. We definitely need to lead by example.”

PACJA Secretary General, Mithika Mwenda called on Civil Society Organizations in Africa to be visible at the national level, to be consistence with national aspirations and to work together with their governments to achieve their objectives.

“It remains the mandate of PACJA to provide an enabling environment for African Civil Societies to share experiences and networks so as to effectively contribute into the national and international climate change debates,” he added.

Mr. Mouhamet Lamine Ndiaye who represented Oxfam at the meeting said “Oxfam will be focusing on the linkages between climate change and its impact on agricultural production and productivity”.

“We are at Oxfam are hopeful that this meeting will conclude with a clear strategy on climate change in relations to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs),” he charged.

The meeting has drawn 80 participants from 40 African countries with a mandate to construct a unified regional campaign strategy on climate justice.

Mr. Augustine Njamnshi, the PACJA Technical and Political Affairs Chairperson and Ms. Azeb Girmai of the Least Developed Countries Watch - Ethiopia while deliberating at this event said “Africa CSOs on climate justice needs massive and innovative mobilization strategy for advocacy and lobbying towards 2015”.


No comments:

Post a Comment