Mr. Yurfee Shaikalee, Mrs. Sieane Abdul-Baki, Messrs. Peter Korvah and John Kantor attending the REDD Conference in Kenya
Post-COP 15 - The Way Forward
Environment
By:
Yurfee B. Shaikalee from Kenya
Since the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference in Denmark, Copenhagen, in December 2009, referred to as Conference of the Party (COP), many nations are waking up to the facts and realities of the most catastrophic terror and havoc that planet earth has to endure.
Many nations describe COP 15 as a failure, while others see it as a success.
If nations do not find a way of mitigating against climate change, the world will be doomed. Climate change is the big picture with many mitigating aspects. One of the mitigating factors is that of Reduced Emission from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD). The REDD advocates, who are mainly from developing nations are regarding COP 15 as a success.
Norway, one of the strong supporters of REDD, is offering large sums of money to forest nations to conserve and sustainably manage their existing forests, and is now being joined by France. Environment Counselor at the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Kenya, Mr. Morten Nordskag, says heads of environmental ministries from all countries met in Bali last week since COP 15 to discuss climate change and the way forward. Morten further explained the role of his country in supporting developing countries ahead of COP 16, which will be held in Mexico this year, and beyond. He revealed that France and Norway are hosting a climate change meeting in March and April to confirm their commitment to the REDD process in line with the UNFCCC process.
“There are more than ten climate change conferences taking place in Kenya at the same time,” said Kenyan Environmental Secretary, Dr. Alice Kaudia. She was speaking at the opening of ‘REDD After Copenhagen −The way forward', a REDD conference currently going on in Nairobi, Kenya. She spoke of the many ongoing efforts to address climate change since COP 15 and said that her country is glad to host so many climate change conferences at once. She pointed out that Africa stands to gain from REDD if the continent does its homework now in negotiating well before COP 16. Kaudia added that adaptation is a very critical issue, and that Africa must address it carefully.
This REDD conference is well attended by representatives from Africa, Asia, Central America, North America and Europe. Liberia is being represented by Mr. Peter Nah Korvah of the Ministry of Agriculture, Mr. John Kantor from Forestry Development Authority, Mrs. Sieane Abdul−Baki from the Ministry of Gender and Mr. Yurfee B. Shaikalee from Action Against Climate Change. Liberia stands to benefit from the REDD initiative as the country is now in the REDD Readiness and Preparation Process (R−PP) and is preparing to submit her REDD proposal to the World Bank next month.
Liberia has been singled out of West Africa as the only tropical rain forest nation at the conference. But interestingly, countries with dry forests such as Ghana and Kenya are far ahead of Liberia with the REDD process. For instance, Ghana submitted its proposal in January 2010 and is scheduled defend that proposal next month in Gabon.
Liberia must wake up from its slumber that is keeping it backward. Our leaders that attend these meetings are not really disseminating the information acquired at these meetings. In a discussion on the types of forests that qualify for REDD, Liberia and the Congo Basin countries were singled out but we, as a country, are lacking institutional policy and technology to be on par with other nations. Our government must train young Liberians and provide technological support to bring them up to par with the comity of nations on environmental issues. With the present international goodwill toward Liberia, this is a defining moment for us and our leaders to stand up to present-day realities and issues.
I was making a presentation this week at the conference on behalf of a group session which had the responsibility of looking at a REDD negotiations facilitated by the UNFCCC Secretariat. I stressed the need for capacity building at all levels from community to national levels. The fact of the matter is that there is lack of capacity building in Liberia. We are bringing in so-called ‘international consultants’ at almost every level of our developmental process, wasting resources that could build the much needed capacities at all ministerial levels.
Negotiations are all right but Africa must not wait for Norway to provide money for conferences with experts from the West. Let us build our own capacity and speak with one voice to sustainably manage our forest.
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Updated: March 4, 2010 - 11:03pm
Since the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference in Denmark, Copenhagen, in December 2009, referred to as Conference of the Party (COP), many nations are waking up to the facts and realities of the most catastrophic terror and havoc that planet earth has to endure.
Many nations describe COP 15 as a failure, while others see it as a success.
If nations do not find a way of mitigating against climate change, the world will be doomed. Climate change is the big picture with many mitigating aspects. One of the mitigating factors is that of Reduced Emission from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD). The REDD advocates, who are mainly from developing nations are regarding COP 15 as a success.
Norway, one of the strong supporters of REDD, is offering large sums of money to forest nations to conserve and sustainably manage their existing forests, and is now being joined by France. Environment Counselor at the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Kenya, Mr. Morten Nordskag, says heads of environmental ministries from all countries met in Bali last week since COP 15 to discuss climate change and the way forward. Morten further explained the role of his country in supporting developing countries ahead of COP 16, which will be held in Mexico this year, and beyond. He revealed that France and Norway are hosting a climate change meeting in March and April to confirm their commitment to the REDD process in line with the UNFCCC process.
“There are more than ten climate change conferences taking place in Kenya at the same time,” said Kenyan Environmental Secretary, Dr. Alice Kaudia. She was speaking at the opening of ‘REDD After Copenhagen −The way forward', a REDD conference currently going on in Nairobi, Kenya. She spoke of the many ongoing efforts to address climate change since COP 15 and said that her country is glad to host so many climate change conferences at once. She pointed out that Africa stands to gain from REDD if the continent does its homework now in negotiating well before COP 16. Kaudia added that adaptation is a very critical issue, and that Africa must address it carefully.
This REDD conference is well attended by representatives from Africa, Asia, Central America, North America and Europe. Liberia is being represented by Mr. Peter Nah Korvah of the Ministry of Agriculture, Mr. John Kantor from Forestry Development Authority, Mrs. Sieane Abdul−Baki from the Ministry of Gender and Mr. Yurfee B. Shaikalee from Action Against Climate Change. Liberia stands to benefit from the REDD initiative as the country is now in the REDD Readiness and Preparation Process (R−PP) and is preparing to submit her REDD proposal to the World Bank next month.
Liberia has been singled out of West Africa as the only tropical rain forest nation at the conference. But interestingly, countries with dry forests such as Ghana and Kenya are far ahead of Liberia with the REDD process. For instance, Ghana submitted its proposal in January 2010 and is scheduled defend that proposal next month in Gabon.
Liberia must wake up from its slumber that is keeping it backward. Our leaders that attend these meetings are not really disseminating the information acquired at these meetings. In a discussion on the types of forests that qualify for REDD, Liberia and the Congo Basin countries were singled out but we, as a country, are lacking institutional policy and technology to be on par with other nations. Our government must train young Liberians and provide technological support to bring them up to par with the comity of nations on environmental issues. With the present international goodwill toward Liberia, this is a defining moment for us and our leaders to stand up to present-day realities and issues.
I was making a presentation this week at the conference on behalf of a group session which had the responsibility of looking at a REDD negotiations facilitated by the UNFCCC Secretariat. I stressed the need for capacity building at all levels from community to national levels. The fact of the matter is that there is lack of capacity building in Liberia. We are bringing in so-called ‘international consultants’ at almost every level of our developmental process, wasting resources that could build the much needed capacities at all ministerial levels.
Negotiations are all right but Africa must not wait for Norway to provide money for conferences with experts from the West. Let us build our own capacity and speak with one voice to sustainably manage our forest.