COP26: Ghana campaigns for Presidency of Climate Vulnerable Forum
Ghana Thursday announced its interest in hosting the next Presidency of Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) following Bangladesh’s successful tenure, which spans 2020 to 2022.
The CVF is a global partnership of 48 frontline developing nations that are disproportionately affected by the consequences of global warming, and are tackling climate change to survive and thrive.
Formed in 2009 the CVF advocates limiting global warming to 1.5 degree Celsius and to achieve maximal resilience and protection for the more than one billion people living in member countries across Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and the Pacific.
Assuming the Presidency of the CVF would make Ghana the voice of the vulnerable countries and promote their interest on the global climate platform.
Speaking on behalf of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at the ongoing COP26 in Glasgow, United Kingdom, Dr Henry Kwabena Kokofu, the Executive Director, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), said member countries of the CVF had endorsed Ghana’s candidature to be the next President.
“We are also pleased that at the recent African and Middle East Regional Dialogue, all African countries that participated endorsed our candidacy as the next chair, and that this is also supported by CVF Pacific and Asia members,” he said.
The event was the high level Climate Vulnerable Forum Leaders’ Dialogue, a side event hosted by the government and people of Bangladesh as part of the COP26 activities.
Dr Kokofu said the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC’s) latest report had indicated that Africa was warming faster than any continent of the world, and so Ghana stood with the common positions of the African Group and Climate Vulnerable Forum, “that major emitters should come with additional ambition in this COP26 to further reduce these emissions.”
“This is the only measure that could give the vulnerable nations hope to keep the temperature increase by 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2030.”
“Additionally, because we are already living inside a worsening climate emergency, ambition-raising must now encompass adaptation and not only mitigation.”
“We have a battle on two fronts and we need to constantly accelerate adaptation action to keep us safe”.
He, therefore, prosed that developed countries, at the end of COP26, would also have a Delivery Plan for the promise of the annual $100 billion Paris Agreement Implementation Budget with 50:50 adaptation and mitigation actions.
“This would give all countries the confidence that resources will be available to support the emission ambition,” Dr Kokofu said.
Ghana, like many developing nations, was already to take the steps to address the negative impacts of climate change, he said.
“In view of the indispensable risks climate change poses to the realisation of long-term development objectives, our country has decided to tackle it head-on by developing an ambitious multi-sectoral plan that will allow us achieve our national goals towards contributing to the Paris Agreement.”
Meanwhile, the proceedings of the COP26 continues unabated with various individuals and groups thronging the Scottish Exhibition Centre, the venue of the conference, to participate in the activities.
There are daily long queues at the entrance to the Centre amidst stringent security and COVID-19 Lateral Flow Tests before participants are allowed in.
Source: GNA