KISUMU, Kenya, May 21 (Xinhua) -- The 27th conference of parties to the United Nations framework convention on climate change (COP27) slated for Egypt from Nov. 7-18 offers an opportunity to raise the visibility of Africa's quest for a green and resilient future, a UN official said Saturday on the sidelines of ninth edition of Africities Summit taking place in Kenya's western city of Kisumu.
Mahmoud Mohieldin, a UN special envoy and COP27 climate champion, said the summit in Egypt will discuss Africa's ability to manage the climate crisis in order to shield communities from poverty, hunger and water stress.
Mohieldin said that time was ripe for the continent to align its long-term development blueprint with national carbon emission reduction initiatives.
He noted that the five-day Africities Summit had devoted ample time to discuss effective strategies that were required to tame climate emergencies in Africa and improve resilience of local communities and habitats.
Mohieldin said that during the upcoming climate summit in Egypt, African nations will be in a vantage position to negotiate for adequate funding, technology transfer and capacity development aimed at strengthening response to climatic shocks.
He called for community-centered interventions geared towards realization of a green future in a continent bearing the brunt of climatic shocks like severe droughts, flooding, habitat loss and violent storms.
Mohieldin said that besides spotlighting the magnitude of climate emergencies in Africa, the summit in Egypt will also serve as a rallying call for governments, investors and lenders to leverage clean technologies and innovations as a means to promote resilience and inject vitality into the continent's economies.
Africa's agenda 2063 on socio-economic transformation alongside the 2030 universal goals will be reinvigorated once the continent accelerates the momentum towards low carbon development, said Mohieldin. ■
