African leaders meet ahead of Durban climate talks - African leaders will meet in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, Wednesday to discuss preparations for the UN Climate talks in Durban, South Africa, amid growing concerns that climate change effects had drastically reduced food production.
The African Union Commission, hosting the 10-member AU Heads of State Committee on Climate Change (CAHOSCC), said the meeting would concentrate on plans for a new climate treaty that would take into consideration the interest of African farmers worst affected.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, the top negotiator, insists that the African bloc would not negotiate unless US$ 100 billion pledged during the Copenhagen meet is made available to the poorest nations worst affected by the climate. The 16 November meeting follows the consent of the AU Summit in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, in July 2011. The AU asked the committee to discuss key messages reviewed and refined by the African Ministerial Council on Environment (AMCEN), held in Bamako, Mali, in September 2011. “The meeting will also deliberate on the state of play of the global climate change negotiations and chart strategies for Africa’s effective participation at CoP17/CMP7,” the AU said in a statement Monday.

“This is in preparation for the 17th Conference of Parties (Cop17) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Seventh Meeting of Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP7) due to take place 28 November to 9 December in Durban.”

The African leaders will also appraise and provide guidance on the ongoing preparatory work that the commission, together with South Africa, the African Development Bank (AfDB), the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and other partners. These institutions have been engaged in efforts to have an African Pavilion at CoP17/CMP7 in Durban. The African Pavilion, organised around “Development First” theme, will feature during the entire course of CoP17/CMP7, a series of events, hosted by a number of stakeholders, to showcase Africa’s best practices and successes in dealing with climate change and climate variability. The events in the African Pavilion will culminate on 8 December in an “Africa Day”, featuring High-Level Fora on Africa’s Future in the Context of Climate Change and on Financing Africa’s response to Climate Change.

The Climate Committee is meant to spearhead an African Common Position on Climate Change and to ensure that Africa speaks with one voice in global climate change negotiations. It began its work with CoP15 in Copenhagen, carried on in Cancun, Mexico (CoP16) and will pursue its work at CoP17 in Durban South Africa. The panel comprises Algeria, Democratic Republic of Congo (current Chair of the African Group of Negotiators/Experts), the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea (current AU Chair), Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali (current President of AMCEN), Mauritius, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda and the Chairperson of the AU Commission.

Pana 15/11/2011