By Jonathan Mbiriyamveka
The African Union Commission has developed Climate Change and Resilient Development Strategy and Action Plan (2022 – 2032).
The action plan is meant to guide, coordinate and support the Continent’s response to Climate Change and in a bid to support the implementation of the Paris Agreement by Member States.
According to the recently held 7th Pan African Forum on Migration (PAFoM-7) in Kigali, Rwanda, Key programmes have been developed by the Commission to address climate and disaster risk.
Key among which are:
- Climate Information Services and related Application (ClimSa);
- (ii) Africa Multi-Hazard Early Warning and Early Action System (AMHEWAS) Programme;
- (iii) Strengthening Disaster Risk Governance for Resilience in African regions and countries;
- (iv) Global Climate Change Alliance Plus in Africa (GCCA+);
- (v) Great Green Wall for the Sahara and Sahel Initiative (GGWSSI); and
- (vi) Strengthening Disaster Risk Reduction and Adaption for Resilience in the Sahel.
Specifically relating to migration on the continent, the Migration Policy Framework for Africa (MPFA) takes into account AU priorities, policies, Agenda 2063, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and international migration management policies and standards.
“MPFA identifies Climate Change as a key driver to migration and displacement in Africa and calls Member States to develop innovative measures to address it.
“The African Union Commission has also in a collaborative effort established The Africa Climate Mobility Initiative (ACMI). The ACMI is a joint undertaking of the African Union (AU), the United Nations (UN), and the World Bank (WB).”
It was launched at a High-Level Event on the Margins of the UN General Assembly in New York on the 28 September 2021.
The main focus of the ACMI is to support the efforts of the AUC and AU Member States to both harness the potential of mobility in the context of climate change, as well as to address climate-forced displacement and migration.
The ACMI’s people-centred & evidence-based approach aims to generate political momentum, a common policy agenda, and mobilize resources to advance comprehensive and locally anchored solutions for climate induced human mobility.
While this phenomenon has really affected the continent, the African Union has undertaken several measures at different levels to support AU Member States mitigate the impact of Climate Change on migration and displacement.
Specifically, in order to implement the AU Agenda 2063 and UN Sustainable Development Goals, the AUC has developed normative legal and policy frameworks that addresses climate-related issues.
For example, the Integrated African Strategy on Meteorology (Weather and Climate Services) provides strategic guidance on the development and application of weather, water and climate services, which are critical for Africa’s climate-resilient development, adaptation planning, early warning, and climate-informed policy and decision-making.
Additionally, the Malabo Declaration on Accelerated Agricultural Growth and Transformation for Shared Prosperity and Improved Livelihoods commits to “enhancing resilience of livelihoods and production systems to climate variability and other related risks is also another example”.
The Africa Regional Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, and the programmes of action for the implementation of the Africa Regional Strategy and of the Sendai Framework are the key disaster risk reduction frame works.
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