USAU: PROPOSAL FOR AFRICAN CLIMATE POLICY CENTER

UNCLAS ADDIS ABABA 001817 AF/FO, AF/RSA FOR WHALDERMAN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL EAID SOCI AU SUBJECT: USAU: PROPOSAL FOR AFRICAN CLIMATE POLICY CENTER REF: ADDIS ABABA 912 ¶1. SUMMARY: On May 20 African Union (AU) and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) officials briefed donor partners on joint efforts to establish an African Climate Policy Center (ACPC). The African Development Bank (ADB) is also involved in the initiative to address the challenges posed by climate change. Officials envision an African Climate Development Program with a joint secretariat of the AU, the ECA and the ADB. While a joint conference of Ministers of Economy and Finance have endorsed an official resolution to establish the Center, the modalities of bringing the Regional Economic Communities (REC) on board have yet to be worked out. AU and ECA officials intend to invite RECs and AU member states to present their respective initiatives as a step to sorting out practical and political issues so the AU and ECA can move forward to make a formal presentation of the Center concept at the upcoming Copenhagen Conference in December 2008. END SUMMARY. ¶2. On May 20 DCM attended a meeting of AU donor partners convened to hear presentations by AU and ECA officials dealing with the impact and implications of climate change. Noting that the negative results of climate change disproportionately impact development initiatives in Africa, the officials underscored the limited capacity of African states to identify risks or implement measures to address climate change. They pointed to the disparate, uncoordinated, and likely duplicative and ineffective measures that have been initiated. Since expertise and resources are scarce, they argue the sensible approach to climate change is a collective one, with the proposed ACPC serving as a repository for data, a center for research and analysis, and a resource body with technical capacity to undertake risk assessments and support AU member states in developing policies that will create coherent continent- wide responses. One of the anticipated results will be strengthening of African countries' capacity to participate more effectively in international climate negotiations and to benefit from the emerging carbon trading system. ¶3. The initial step is to obtain buy-in from AU member governments and simultaneously attract donor support. A prioritized and detailed work plan is being developed and will be presented to donors so those interested in supporting the initiative can earmark contribution within the ClimDev and ACPC structure. The UNECA provided its detailed twenty-one page April 2008 Draft Proposal for the African Climate Policy Center. The Draft Proposal provides a clear vision of the work of the Center as well as a six-month timeframe for formalizing the Center. The draft proposal contains a detailed breakout of resource requirements for 2008-2013. It suggests the initial six-year development phases for establishing and running the ACPC will require approximately forty-one million dollars (USD $41 million). ¶4. COMMENT: The partnership of the AU, the ECA, and the ADB provides the political, the technical, and the financial cooperation to transform statements of intention into programs for implementation. The March joint AU-ECA Ministerial Meetings of Economic and Finance Ministers (REFTEL) anticipates a future of close cooperation in which the ECA and the ADB support the AU. The ClimDev and ACPC initiative is one of the first concrete initiatives predicated on the framework agreed in March. It addresses one of the cross-cutting and potentially most serious of challenges to African economic development and food security. END COMMENT. YAMAMOTO