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The African Development Bank (AfDB), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Climate Parliament and GLOBE Nigeria jointly organized a regional workshop on “The Role of African Parliamentarians in the Implementation of the Paris Agreement: Challenges and Prospects.” The workshop was held in Abuja, Nigeria, on 22-23 November, 2018.
The general objective of the workshop was to strengthen the capacity of African parliamentarians on their role and responsibilities in the implementation of NDCs on the continent. The specific objectives included:
Raising awareness among legislators in Africa on the impacts of climate change and opportunities for action within the Paris Agreement;
Raising awareness among MPs in Africa on the need for all countries to be compliant regarding measuring, reporting and verification (MRV);
Sharing best practices and engaging African parliamentarians in a policy dialogue on their roles and responsibilities in the implementation and monitoring of the NDCs, including their alignment with both the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and national development plans.
It was agreed that, although Africa is responsible for less than 4% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions but it is extremely vulnerable to the social, economic and environmental effects of climate change. The NDCs represent not only a challenge but a unique opportunity to set Africa on a path to sustainable, resilient, low-carbon development and to meeting the SDGs. Legislators have a unique role to play in mobilizing political will to implement the NDCs and to move for more ambitious climate targets in 2020.