CAPPA – Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa

Making a Case for Impacted Communities at COP28

Share:

The campaigners called for the speedy operationalization of the fund and opposed the warehousing of the fund at the World Bank. They also criticized attempts by big emitters to frame the fund as charity rather than reparations and planned for joint actions at the UN conference to emphasize their position.

Documentary ‘‘Africa’s Cooked & Sinking Cities’’ Screened at COP28

Africa’s Cooked & Sinking Communities screened at the Development & Climate Days Forum, COP28

Additionally, the documentary also featured at the ‘‘Don’t Be a Climate Con Artist’’ event on December 5, 2023. At yet another screening on the conference grounds, at the Civil Society Climate Justice Hub (CSCJ Hub) on December 6, 2023, panel discussions interrogated the issues captured in the documentary and provided a platform for indigenous people and climate campaigners from Small Islands to share their experiences, resonating with the film’s themes and promoting collaborative efforts for climate justice.

Denouncing the Presence of Fossil Fuel Lobbyists at COP28

CAPPA’s Aderonke Ige leading a Fossil Fuel Phase Out campaign at COP28

Leafletting, Engaging Pavilions and African Delegates

Ogunlade Olamide Martins of CAPPA (L) engages the Liberian Pavilion

Throughout our time in Dubai, we actively utilized our research reports and knowledge materials to engage with COP attendees, pushing for pro-people climate solutions. Our strategy involved distributing perspective documents and pamphlets to African delegates and political leaders, emphasizing the importance of a community-driven approach to climate issues.

Providing Real-time Analysis and On-Spot Reporting for the News

Make Big Polluters Pay

CAPPA at a Kick Big Polluters Out (KBPO) protest

We took a stand many times at the COP, upholding our culture of defending the rights of communities to livable environments. We joined forces with our MBPP and KBPO partners to challenge the role of polluting companies in defining healthy solutions for climate change. During actions like the “End Fossil Fuel,” “Just Transition Now,” and “Ceasefire in Gaza,” “International Human Rights Day,’’ CAPPA spoke truth to power and called for global action against the bloodshed in Gaza and for Parties to urgently adopt just and fair decarbonization pathways. In several side meetings wherein we participated, we critiqued the proposals of false solutions like carbon markets as a way out of Africa’s climate finance conundrum and highlighted the need for solutions based on fairness, equity, and justice.

Notable References

We strongly engaged in a one-on-one interview with the Chairperson of the African Group of Negotiators AGN), Mr. Ephraim Mwepya Shitima at the conference. We shared with him our concerns regarding the World Bank’s role in housing the L&D fund. In response, the AGN Chair acknowledged the issues raised.  He noted that while it was encouraging to see over $600 million pledged to the loss and damage fund, it still falls short of the billions required to effectively tackle the wide range of climate challenges.

When questioned about the decision of African State representatives to accept the World Bank as host for the Fund, Mr. Shitima clarified that the representatives were compelled to make a swift decision to ensure the Fund’s readiness by COP28. Despite having reservations about the World Bank’s involvement, he pointed out that certain compromises were necessary.

Mr. Shitima added, ” But what has happened now is that we have put a lot of caveats. The World Bank must meet a lot of conditions that we have put there. First, a board for the Fund that we are going to constitute will be independent and operate independently of the World Bank. The eligibility criteria for selecting countries to receive the fund will not be based on the World Bank. There are a lot of provisions we have put in place the Bank has to meet. Failure to do so would mean us going the other road.’’

More pictures

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Reports

Title
.