Press |

November 18, 2016

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Advocacy

Call for action must deliver concrete results for the poor.

Marrakesh. The international humanitarian and development agency CARE International comments on the closure of the 22nd UN climate change conference (COP22) in Marrakesh, Morocco:

“Despite fears, the spirit of Paris and the climate movement are alive and well as we saw in Marrakesh at COP22. Technical negotiations showed progress but the plight of the poorest and especially women and girls still demand a clearer roadmap and money to match. We are also calling on governments and business to make emission cuts now that respect the 1.5 degrees limit so that a desperate situation does not completely spiral out of our control. Thus, the ambitious leadership shown by 48 developing countries in the Climate Vulnerable Forum pushes the most powerful countries to be much bolder and take quicker action.”

Wolfgang Jamann, Secretary General and CEO, CARE International

“CARE is pleased to see positive outcomes from COP22 on gender, as countries committed to integrate gender in climate policies and actions under the UNFCCC.  The agreement to give more attention to finance, to address loss and damage from climate impacts, is a welcome step forward. However, for countries in Africa, climate finance – especially for adaptation – remains critical, yet we leave Marrakech without the scale of finance required and the clarity needed on the way forward. This is a matter of justice and historic responsibility.”

Emma Bowa, Advocacy Manager of CARE’s Adaptation Learning Programme (ALP) in Africa

“Climate change impacts on agriculture and on the food and nutrition security of millions of vulnerable people, especially women and girls, have been echoed through the discussions in Marrakesh. Yet, we are disappointed that, as we witness the ravages of an El Niño exacerbated by climate change, official agriculture negotiations ended in a stalemate. New initiatives may demonstrate the priority of addressing this mounting challenge, but progress in future negotiations is needed to ensure a shared understanding of what action must deliver for vulnerable small-scale food producers.”

Vitu Chinoko, CARE’s Partnerships and Advocacy Coordinator for Southern Africa

Over 80 Heads of State and Government participated here in Marrakech to sound the call for unified action on climate change. Governments also demonstrated their perseverance and sustained commitment to climate action by adopting the “Marrakesh Action Proclamation for our climate and sustainable development.” The coalition of 48 developing countries – Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) – adopted the Marrakesh Vision and commits to shift to 100% renewable energy and to implement ambitious National Adaptation Plans. The conference decided that the next major UN climate change conference (COP23) will be held in Bonn, Germany (November 2017), under the presidency of Fiji, representing Asian countries.