Media Brief: 17 January 2018

CALL FOR INCLUSION OF PRO-POOR FOCUSED LOW EMISSION DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS

IN IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PARIS AGREEMENT IN EAST AFRICA

 Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) are the national climate action plans that governments
have selected as measures towards achieving the Paris Agreement’s goal.
 They reflect Parties’ national commitments to achieve the global climate objectives on tackling climate
change and reducing CO2 emissions. Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania have all submitted their NDCs.
 But these NDCs are inclined towards large scale projects in energy, agriculture, forestry, waste
management and infrastructure such as up scaling the geothermal project in Kenya for energy production,
with no attention towards the small scale projects that are being implemented by the (majority) local
communities living in rural areas.
 SusWatch Kenya and its East African Partners are implementing a Project, “Promoting the
Implementation of the Paris Agreement in East Africa (PIPA)”.
 At the recently concluded COP23 in Bonn, PIPA partners therefore called for inclusion of pro-poor
focused low emission development strategies in the guidance of the NDCs of the party states
including East Africa as part of the ‘rulebook’ to implement the Paris Agreement.
 This is part of enhancing the voice of the climate vulnerable countries, ably aired out by the COP23
Presidency with a call for a Talanoa (Facilitative) Dialogue in 2018 (pivotal year for climate action).
‘Talanoa’ in Fiji refers to an inclusive process of dialogue where all participants, regardless of power or
influence, are peers), so that the best ideas can come together to galvanize a global climate action agenda
ambitious enough to protect vulnerable countries (like East Africa) from catastrophic climate change.

Climate Change is a global phenomenon which has severely impacted the livelihoods of a great number of people;
especially those living in developing and least developed countries as they greatly depend on their natural
resource base. East African states (up to the greater horn of Africa) have also had their fair share of climate
change related negative impacts such as severe flooding and unpredictable and persistent droughts, which further
exacerbates poverty levels in these countries and slow down rural and urban development in equal measure.

Sustainable Environmental Development Watch (SusWatch Kenya) and its East African Partners, Uganda
Coalition for Sustainable Development (UCSD) and Tanzania Traditional Energy for Development Organization
(TaTEDO) are in the process of implementing a project dubbed, “Promoting the Implementation of the Paris
Agreement in East Africa (PIPA)”. The Paris Agreement which came into force in 2015. 195 Parties signed the
Agreement, and 173 Parties (of 197 Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change)
ratified this Agreement as of January 15, 2018. The Paris Agreement aims to keep global temperature rise to well
below 2degC above pre-industrial temperatures while pursuing efforts to limit it to 1.5degC; increase the ability to
adapt; and make finance flows consistent with a pathway towards low emissions and climate-resilient
development.

Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) form the basis of states’ engagement to support the legally binding
international climate agreement, reflecting their national commitments to achieve the global climate objectives on
tackling climate change and reducing CO2 emissions. Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania have all submitted their
NDCs that contribute to the Paris Agreement Goals. However, these NDCs were developed quickly and with no
certainty of the final outcome. Nonetheless, they remain the plans that Governments have selected as a measure of
progress towards achieving the Paris Agreement’s Goals.

Between November 6th and 17th, 2017 the Conference of Parties (COP23) to the United Nations Framework
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Convention on Climate Change was held in Bonn (Germany) under the Chair of Fiji, bringing together
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 stakeholders across the globe from Civil Society, Academia, Government, Private sector and Youth
Organizations.

This second “Conference of the Parties” since the Paris Agreement was struck in 2015, promised to be a
somewhat technical affair as countries continued to negotiate the finer details of how the agreement will work
from 2020 onwards.

SusWatch Kenya, UCSD and TaTEDO were present during this Conference and pushed for the inclusion of pro-
poor focused low emission development strategies in the guidance of the Nationally Determined Contributions of
the party states.

NDCs of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania are inclined towards large scale projects in energy, agriculture,
forestry, waste management and infrastructure such as up scaling the geothermal project in Kenya for
energy production, but no attention is given towards the small scale projects that are being implemented by
the local communities and which contribute towards green house reduction emissions such as energy saving
cook stoves and small scale biogas plants.

Similarly the Paris Agreement whose implementation guidelines are to be finalized at the end of 2018, requires
Parties to factor in recent innovations and declining costs of renewable energy to take advantage of opportunities
in key sectors (like large-scale infrastructure in energy and agriculture) to send accurate signals to investors.
Many countries have long-term plans and strategies related to climate, development, and economic objectives.
Taking the opportunity now to align NDCs with these long-term goals and strategies, will avoid locking in high
emissions that will exacerbate climate vulnerabilities.

In having small scale projects implemented by the local communities which contribute towards greenhouse
reduction emission reduction, PIPA partners believe that there will be a dual objective of contributing to
poverty reduction in East Africa since majority still live in rural settings. This is a practical step for East
Africa to permanently tip the scale towards faster action and stronger ambition in their climate action
plans under the Paris Agreement - The Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), that must be stepped
and ambition enhanced by 2020, to keep warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius.

This is the essence of the Talanoa Dialogue agreed upon at COP23 in Bonn, as a 2018 action. It is an
inclusive process of dialogue where all participants, regardless of power or influence, are peers spearheaded by
the COP23 Presidency (Fiji). This will secure that the best ideas can come together to galvanize a global
climate action agenda ambitious enough to protect vulnerable countries from catastrophic climate change.

Through the Project: Promoting Implementation of the Paris Agreement (PIPA) in East Africa - with a pro-
poor focus involving INFORSE Network, Sustainable Energy, TaTEDO and SusWatch Kenya supported by
CISU (Denmark), are contributing to strengthening the pro-poor focus and climate change ambitions in the
implementation of the Paris Agreement in East Africa. More about the Project:
http://www.inforse.org/africa/East_Africa_PIPA.htm

Contact for more Information:

For Uganda: For Kenya: For Tanzania:

Mr. Richard Kimbowa Ms. Velma Oseko Ms. Mary Swai
Phone: +256 772 457465 Phone: +254 724715910 Phone: Tel +255 79345463
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rkimbowa@ugandacoalition.or.ug osekovelma@gmail.com lemapushu@gmail.com