NAIROBI, April 9 (Xinhua) -- African experts are meeting in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, on Tuesday to align their priorities with the global climate change objectives ahead of the UN climate change conference to be held in June in Germany.
The four-day meeting, which brought together policymakers, negotiators, practitioners, farmer organizations, and civil society organizations from 30 African countries, will develop a common African position ahead of the 60th sessions of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice and the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SB 60) to be held on June 3-13 in Bonn.
In his remarks, George Wamukoya, team leader of the African Group of Negotiators Experts Support (AGNES), said that it is imperative that experts unite under a common African position to pave the way for meaningful action at the coming climate change meetings.
"Collective effort, guided by reflection on COP28 outcomes, will shape strategic approaches across agriculture, adaptation, gender equality, health, water security, biodiversity, and nature-based solutions," Wamukoya said during the meeting.
He added that, through dialogue, collaboration, and determination, there is an urgent need to chart a path towards resilience, sustainability, and equitable development for the whole continent.
The meeting is expected to provide the African negotiators with a strategy and an approach to engage in negotiations on agriculture, adaptation, loss and damage, and adaptation finance.
Mithika Mwenda, executive director of the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA), promised to leverage its convening power by facilitating broad-based consultations on adaptation issues at the 60th sessions of the SB 60 in Bonn.
Mwenda said that PACJA is providing a unified platform for African non-state actors to support and maintain the campaign for increased adaptation financing.
He said that with the global temperatures already surpassing pre-industrial levels, the need for decisive action by African countries and the global south is now.
Meanwhile, Anne Wang'ombe, principal secretary in Kenya's Ministry of Gender, Culture, The Arts and Heritage, urged African climate change experts to integrate gender perspectives to tackle climate challenges in the continent.
Wang'ombe said that collective gender representation across various sectors calls for a holistic approach to tackling climate change challenges.
She urged people to seize the opportunity and amplify the voices of women and vulnerable groups, as well as work to ensure that Africa receives fair attention in global climate change negotiations. ■