iGST WA HUB YOUNG FELLOWSHIP INITIATIVE (iGST WA Hub YFP)
The YFP is a six-month research program that aims to build the fellows’ capacity in relevant topics related to the Paris Agreement and its implementation while providing them with mentorship to enable them to carry out a regional study on Parties’ Climate Commitments and Civil Society Contributions in West Africa.
Specific objectives
Examine the commitments made by West African Parties in their NDCs, including their climate mitigation and adaptation goals, ambitions, and strategies.
Analyze the alignment between the NDC contents and the policies of each country’s various development sectors, with the outcomes of the first Global Stocktake (GST).
Evaluate the alignment of the Parties’ NDCs with the long-term goals of the Paris Agreement.
Identify gaps in climate change mitigation and adaptation data, particularly focusing on the unreported efforts and actions of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in this area.
Assess the relevance of the NDCs within the local context.
Outcomes
The technical report provides a thorough analysis of the most recent NDCs, including data from national adaptation plans and in-depth interviews with key government officials and over 100 active CSOs.
Revised targets show increased commitment to mitigating and adapting to climate change, with all countries strengthening existing targets or adding new ones.
The region has made significant unconditional commitments, accounting for 28% and 31.5% of resources needed for adaptation and mitigation. While this progress is commendable, more work is needed to address escalating climate challenges. The report highlights the region’s reliance on conditional commitments, which make up 70% of climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts. This underlines the need for international cooperation and support to unlock West Africa’s full potential in combating climate change.
With the financial support of the ClimateWorks Foundation (CWF), the West African Regional Hub of the Independent Global Stocktake (iGST WA Hub), in partnership with the Northern Patriots in Research and Advocacy (NORPRA), is actively contributing to climate change adaptation and resilience efforts, particularly for the most vulnerable communities. This small project grant initiative will complement government climate change adaptation and resilience actions in Ghana.
The iGST WA Hub small grant initiative aims to support small actionable projects in Ghana, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Nigeria, Mali, and Benin with a focus on local adaptation and mitigation, capacity building, technology development, and awareness creation.
iGST WA Hub team in NORPRA Facility
A recent field visit to the Nabdam district in the Upper East Region of Ghana highlighted the urgent need for such projects. Local committees in Zanlerigu shared their experiences, emphasizing the limitations of the government’s “one village, one dam” project which becomes completly dry in January every year when farmers need water to do dry season farming.
Visiting the CASL Project Implementation Sitein Zanlerigu
In response, the iGST WA Hub, in partnership with NORPRA, has initiated the Community Adaptation for Sustainable Livelihoods (CASL) project. This initiative involves constructing a borehole for dry-season farming and tree planting in Zanlerigu. The community has enthusiastically embraced this project, already outlining agricultural plans for the upcoming dry season.
The Zanlerigu Community Youth Group represented by Mr. Engmam Francis Yenbila, Mr. David Bebila, Mr. Woka Daniel Bugbon, Ms. Babon Edna Zuremah, Hon. Mr. Isaac Wulug, Mr. Yenwona Dongbire emphasized the importance of incorporating indigenous knowledge, noting that the recommended borehole site has sufficient ground water even during the dry season.
iGST WA Hub, NORPRA, and Zanlerigu Youth (NABDAM) in Zanlerigu
Additionally, the project will provide a 1,546-egg capacity incubator to two communities (Zanlerigu and Kongo). The women’s cooperative, represented by the sectional leaders, in Kongo, expressed their excitement and gratitude. According to them, they have longed for an incubator since 2018. The project will also offer practical training on the use of the incubators, as well as a training session on processing, branding, packaging, and labeling quality groundnut and soybean products for the benefit of 50 people who are mainly youth and women.
iGST WA Hub, NORPRA, and Women’s Cooperative in Kongo
Through these efforts, iGST WA Hub, CWF, and NORPRA are empowering local communities, enhancing their resilience to climate change, and supporting sustainable development. These initiatives not only address immediate needs but also build long-term capacity, ensuring communities are better prepared for future challenges.
Explore key insights from Mr. Seth Osafo, Legal Advisor at the African Group of Advisors, who provided a deep dive into the complexities of international climate change negotiations. During this enlightening session, Mr. Osafo highlighted the significance of understanding historical contexts and triggers such as IPCC reports and UN resolutions. He stressed the importance of effective preparation, including reviewing conference agendas, conducting stakeholder consultations, and collaborating with regional groups like the African Group of Negotiators to ensure cohesive national positions. Mr. Osafo also underscored the need for inclusive national delegations, comprising diverse expertise from relevant ministries and stakeholders, to enhance representation and alignment of interests on global platforms.
Discover a comprehensive overview of pivotal international climate agreements with Mr. Seth Osafo. In session #2 of our capacity-building series, Mr. Osafo, drawing on his extensive experience in climate negotiations since 1991, explored the evolution of key agreements: the UNFCCC, Kyoto Protocol, and Paris Agreement. Established in 1992 with global participation, the UNFCCC aimed to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations. The subsequent Kyoto Protocol (1997) imposed emission reduction targets on developed nations, while the Paris Agreement (2015) represents a landmark effort to combat climate change. The session highlighted the complexities of global cooperation and differentiated responsibilities between developed and developing nations, emphasizing ongoing challenges and dynamics in international climate negotiations.
Join us on 16 july 2024 at 10:00 AM (GMT) for an insightful exploration of the key takeaways from the landmark decision on adaptation reached during the first Global Stocktake (GST). This webinar is hosted by the iGST WA Hub, the session features Jingjing Gao, a scientist at UNEP-CCC, who will provide an expert analysis of the first GST decision on adaptation.
iGST WA Hub capacity-building session #1 led by Mr. Walters Tubua, a prominent figure within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Mr. Tubua, with his extensive experience and leadership in climate change issues, delivered an enlightening overview of the first global stocktake, a pivotal element of the Paris Agreement.
A key focus of the session was the dual approach—top-down and bottom-up—necessary for achieving climate objectives. Mr. Tubua explained how the global stocktake fits within the broader goals of the Paris Agreement. He detailed the process of setting pledges through Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and subsequent reporting, highlighting the global stocktake’s role in encouraging parties to enhance their commitments.
The urgency of climate action has never been more pronounced, and the SB60 side event held on 7th June 2024, in Bonn, Germany, provided a crucial platform for discussing the implementation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Moderated by Josefina Cobián of the ClimateWorks Foundation, the event titled “NDC Implementation: Latest Climate Science and Regional Perspectives on Turning the GST into Action” brought together a diverse group of experts from different regions of the world, including Dr. Kwame Hackman, a senior scientist at WASCAL and coordinator of the iGST West Africa Regional Hub, to share insights and strategies on the topic. After setting the stage with keynote presentations on emission trends and strategies for implementing the GST Energy Package through a granular roadmap for action, regional perspectives from West Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Southeast Asia were provided. This was followed by a discussion of potential barriers to the implementation of the first GST decision in the next round of NDCs (NDC 3.0) to be submitted by February 2025 (at least 9 months before CMA7 in November 2025). Finally, the experts highlighted ongoing regional initiatives that will facilitate the integration of the GST decision leading to greater climate ambitions.
Addressing Energy Crisis in West Africa
Dr. Kwame Hackman from the West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use discussed the urgent need to address the energy demand crisis in West Africa using emerging renewable energy technologies. This, he said, is important to ensure that the region, despite its low emissions, does not resort to energy sources that will follow the same trajectory other regions followed and are now required to reverse due to the high levels of emissions. Accordingly, while applauding the efforts already being championed by WASCAL with funding from the German Federal Ministry of Higher Education and Research (BMBF), Dr. Hackman stressed the need for direct investment that would drive a move beyond pilot feasibility studies and capacity-building initiatives related to the production of renewable energy to actual production.
Transforming Energy in Latin America and the Caribbean
Mariana Gutierrez from Iniciativa Climática de Mexico highlighted the critical need for transforming the energy sector in Latin America. She outlined three key enabling conditions necessary for this transition:
Strengthening Institutional Arrangements: Ensuring that decision-making processes are transparent, accountable, and inclusive of civil society and affected communities.
Building Financial Structures: Supporting a just energy transition through financial mechanisms and skills training for the workforce.
Creating Regulatory Frameworks: Establishing clear incentives and standards for phasing out fossil fuels and integrating climate considerations into national planning and budgets.
These steps, Mariana emphasized, are vital for increasing ambition, ensuring effective implementation, and fostering international cooperation, with a focus on equity, fairness, and transparency.
Decarbonization in Southeast Asia
Danica Marie Supnet from the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC) shared insights into key sectors for decarbonization in Southeast Asia, particularly the energy, forestry, and land use sectors. Challenges such as inconsistent energy planning, underinvestment in power grid modernization, and the need for sustainable forest management were discussed. Danica underscored the importance of strong political and policy signals in countries like Indonesia and the Philippines to lead these efforts.
Broadening the Discussion: Insights from the Q&A Session
The panel then moved into a dynamic Q&A session, where discussions centered on challenges and opportunities associated with the integration of the first GST decision into NDC 3.0. Topics such as investment de-risking, capacity building (especially those that demystify the global GST decision into easily comprehensible regional ambitions), availability of adequate financial resources, and the integration of climate resilience into planning were explored. Discussions highlighted the importance of context-specific national sector investments and the critical nature of understanding and mainstreaming Global Stocktake (GST) decisions into regional activities.
Conclusion: A Unified Call for Action
The side event concluded with a unified call to address the implementation challenges of the Paris Agreement through increased ambition, strategic investments, and responsive policy adjustments. The insights shared underscored the interconnected nature of global and regional efforts required to combat climate change effectively.
The side event not only provided a platform for sharing valuable regional perspectives but also reinforced the global commitment to turning the Paris Agreement goals into actionable strategies. As we look forward, the lessons learned, and strategies discussed will undoubtedly play a crucial role in shaping future climate actions across the three regions.
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