Pan African Parliament establishes Sub Committee on Climate Change and Environment

The Pan African Parliament (PAP) has passed a resolution transforming the PAP Desk Office on Climate Change and Environment to a Sub Committee.

This was sequel to the presentation of the Report of the PAP participation in the Conference of Parties (COP 24) Session in December 3 to 14, 2018 in Kotowice, Poland by the Chairman of PAP Permanent Committee on Rural Economy, Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment, Hon. Kone Dognan at the just concluded Second Ordinary Session of the Fifth Parliament of PAP in Midrand, Johannesburg.

Presenting the report, Hon. Dognan observed that climate change issues are technical in nature and this necessitates a lot of research and technical preparation to equip and update parliamentarians with the information on relevant issues.

“Parliamentarians selected for participation must be versed on the subject of climate change, environment and related fields in order for them to be fully involved in crafting the PAP positions whenever PAP participates in COP processes. “

He noted that “PAP played and will continue to play an instrumental role in two key events: during COP’s Inter Parliamentary Union annual meeting and the Africa Day especially from a content perspective. The subcommittee if created, will help to ensure that messages and positions of the PAP at COPs are fully considered before the PAP participation in the COPs as well as ensure that PAP is granted an observer status in COPs which will allow for accreditation and direct registration of the PAPas an independent organization and not just be accommodated under the African Union Commission.”

Contributing to the debates on the report, Hon. Prof. Ogenga Latogo Morris Wodamida (Uganda) noted that Africans are not contributors to the causes of climate change but are victims and observed that Africa operates marginally in feeding her population and must therefore be put in good measure to mitigate the effects of climate change. He therefore supported the creation of the sub committee to help coalesce expertise in the field of climate change.

In his contribution, Hon. Bweupe Mara Joel Ng’ onga (Zambia) noted that the subcommittee will enhance PAP’s state of preparedness to ensure that we overcome the adverse effects of climate change and prepare our population to face this reality.

Also speaking, Hon. Gelase Daniel Ndabirabe (Burundi) stressed the importance of data collection that will help PAP to articulate its position on climate change and believed that the new subcommittee will do this as well as increase PAP’s advocacy on climate change.