Bringing the voice of civil society to the attention of decision-makers so that appropriate decisions can be taken in the fight against climate change, this is the meaning to be given to the national awareness-raising workshop on the ongoing revision of the NDC and the development of the National Climate Plan, organized this October 23, 2024 by MBOSCUDA and Inades-Formation Cameroun.
The proceedings, which took place in the Salle des actes of the Economic and Social Council of Cameroon (CES), were chaired by the General Secretary of this institution, Mr. NGOUMBE Zacharie. NGOUMBE Zacharie, with the effective participation of representatives of sectoral administrations, including the Ministry of the Environment, Nature Protection and Sustainable Development (MINEPDED) and the Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Animal Industry (MINEPIA), the Economic and Social Council, MPs who are members of the network of Parliamentarians for Sustainable Ecosystems, academics and researchers active in the fight against climate change, and national civil society organizations (CSOs).
Structured around presentations on :
- Climate change and the prospects for agroecology presented by Mr Musa Usman Ndamba ;
- Parliaments and decision-making rules on climate change by the
Coordinator of the parliamentary working group ;
- The National Determined Contribution (NDC) and the National Climate Plan (NCP) currently being drawn up, and the challenges of stakeholder commitment, by Dr Kagonbé Timothée, who is also Focal Point of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) at MINEPDED and National Coordinator of the NDC;
- Restitution of the study on taking climate change into account in Cameroon’s political, strategic and regulatory framework, commissioned by the Inades-Formation International network and carried out by consultant Mr Magloire Téné;
- Les défis du pastoralisme face aux effets du changement climatique by Dr Hassan Bouba ; Les expériences de résilience et d’adaptation des communautés locales de la région du Nord-ouest au changement climatique by the Coordinator of FAP NGO ;
- Renewable energy and climate change by Professor Julius Kewir Tangka;
- Presentation of the National Alliance of Organizations on Climate Change for Sustainable Development (ANOCC 2D), its objectives and structure by Mr. Raphaël Meigno Bokagne, Advocacy Focal Point of Inades-Formation Cameroun.
The workshop enabled participants to take stock of the fight against climate change in Cameroon. These observations show that:
- Low participation of Cameroonian government experts at climate COPs due to the unavailability of funding for government participation. This leads to low visibility for Cameroon at the COPs and limited impact during climate negotiations;
- Weak coordination between the government, civil society and other stakeholders in Cameroon’s preparation for and participation in climate-related COPs, due to the lack of financial resources within MINEPDED to facilitate COP preparation activities;
- The scattering of climate-related activities among stakeholders and the lack of coordination with MINEPDED, resulting in lost opportunities to optimize national climate contributions.
At the end of the fruitful discussions between the various participants, strong recommendations were made to the institutions and players involved in the fight against climate change in Cameroon, namely :
- To the Government, Allocate 1% of the budget of each ministry to finance actions on land and climate;
- To parliamentarians, support and defend actions in favor of environmental protection and the fight against climate change when adopting the State budget; become more involved in the preparation and participation in COPs to influence and negotiate more effectively on behalf of Cameroon; support the adoption of a law for the financing of CSOs by the government. With regard to civil society, mobilize funding for projects to combat climate change and ensure that they are included in the Ministry’s programs and budget for better coordination and optimization of Cameroon’s climate actions; set up mechanisms to inform MINEPDED about climate change actions and the results achieved, so that the Government can capitalize on them;
- To Universities, to widely disseminate the products of research into the fight against climate change; to propose tools for evaluating and measuring greenhouse gas emission factors and emission reductions adapted to Cameroon.
These are recommendations which, if put into practice, will make Cameroon a major player in the fight against climate change and sustainable development, a major objective pursued by MBOSCUDA and Inades-Formation Cameroun, which has led to the establishment of the operating bodies of the ANOCC 2D alliance, for which Inades-Formation provides the General Secretariat.
The workshop led to the creation of a steering committee and a strategic committee for the National Alliance of Organizations on Climate Change for Sustainable Development (ANOCC 2D). MBOSCUDA will chair the committee, while Inades-Formation Cameroun will act as General Secretary. The financial side will be handled by the Réseau des Acteurs du Développement Durable (RADD)/ WICCA (Women in Climate Change…….. / Foder (Forêt et Développement) /, and the committee’s Communication has been entrusted to Game Charges and Cities Radio.
Steering Committee of the National Alliance of Organizations on Climate Change for Sustainable Development (ANOCC 2D).
Marguerite MOMHA, Communication Inades-Formation Cameroon
