icon

Morbi et tellus imperdiet, aliquam nulla sed, dapibus erat. Aenean dapibus sem non purus venenatis vulputate. Donec accumsan eleifend blandit. Nullam auctor ligula

Get In Touch

Quick Email
[email protected]
  • Home |
  • The initiative in favor of the adaptation of african agriculture – “AAA”

The initiative in favor of the adaptation of african agriculture – “AAA”

We,

Ministers of Agriculture,

Heads of Delegations,

Representatives of bilateral and multilateral development organizations,

Representatives of the civil society,

 

Participating, to the High-Level Meeting for the initiative in favor of the Adaptation of African Agriculture, organized on September 29 and 30, 2016 in Marrakesh;

Acknowledging the vulnerability of African agricultures and Africa’s significant needs in terms of adaptation to climate change, and particularly in terms of adaptation of its agricultural systems which productivity will be strongly impacted by global warming;

Acknowledging the insufficiency of the funds dedicated to the adaptation of African agriculture to face this global challenge, given that this continent only benefits from 5% of climate funds, adaptation projects only capture 20% of public climate funds, and agriculture only 4% of these funds;

Emphasizing the ability of agriculture as one of the only sector to mitigate emissions in a significant way, in the near term, by its way of production;

Recalling the food security, poverty eradication and water scarcity challenges the African continent has to meet and that translate into an objective to triple the agricultural production by 2050, thereby contributing to the fulfillment of the Sustainable Development Goals;

Acknowledging the historic progresses made during the COP21 in reaching the Paris Agreement which aims, within the United Nations Framework on Climate Change, at strengthening the global response to the threat of climate change, in coherence with our efforts to eradicate poverty and promote sustainable development, including by:

(a) Holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C ;

(b) Increasing the ability to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change and foster climate resilience and low greenhouse gas emissions development, in a manner that does not threaten food production;

(c) Making finance flows consistent with our ambitions to lower greenhouse gas emissions and improve our resilience towards climate change;

Recalling the necessity that all countries participate through measures to lower their emissions and adapt their natural and human systems to climate change, in accordance with the principles of equity, common but differentiated responsibilities and countries respective capabilities, in light of national circumstances, and that actions by developing countries will need to be supported by the provision of finance, technology and capacity building;

Welcoming the commitment of developed countries to mobilize “at least 100 billion US dollars per year” in favor of developing countries starting from 2020;

Acknowledging the commitments made by African countries within their Nationally Determined Contributions on the agricultural sector and the progresses made at the High-Level Conference of Dakar in October 2015 aimed at defining a roadmap for agriculture transformation in Africa and the ambitions of the Regional Conference for Africa organized in Abidjan in April 2016 in favor of a resilient agricultural development in Africa;

Welcoming the commitment of the Ministries of Agriculture and Heads of delegations, of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and of international development finance institutions;

Determined to meet the great expectations raised by the COP22 and to make it a “COP for action”, first milestone of the concrete implementation of the Paris Agreement commitments, while taking the specific stakes of developing countries into account, and first of all those of Africa;

Being aligned with the African Adaptation Initiative (“AAI”), fostered by the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN)  in collaboration with the African Group of negotiators (AGN) and launched by the Arab Republic of Egypt at COP21, as the coordinator of the Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC) ;

Declare to support and help the African countries in facing the adverse effects of climate change on African agriculture and our firm commitment to the initiative in factor of the Adaptation of African Agriculture (“AAA”), an initiative structured in two sections:

  • Put agriculture at the heart of climate negotiations and support the principle of a higher, more efficient and effective climate funding for the African agriculture;
  • Contribute to the Global Climate Action Agenda by emphasizing adaptation projects and good agricultural practices in Africa.

Declare to support the initiative in favor of the Adaptation of African Agriculture (“AAA”) to:

  • Support the principle of a higher, more efficient and effective funding, both public and private, and of a monitoring of the funds actually disbursed for Adaptation, Agriculture, and Africa, as well as an easier access to climate funds for African projects;
  • Contribute to the action and solutions in the Global Climate Action Agenda and other relevant fora by emphasizing projects and good practices in Africa, such as in the areas of soil management – including carbon sequestration in soils and agroforestry, agricultural water management, management of climate risks, and funding of smallholder farmers, as one of the most vulnerable groups; and by contributing to the promotion of research and development efforts in the agricultural sector;
  • Put agriculture at the heart of climate negotiations by emphasizing a sustainable increase of agricultural productivity and revenues, the adaptation and development of resilience in front of climate change;
  • Work to reinforce African capacities in terms of agricultural policies and programs, set-up and management of climate-resilient sustainable agricultural projects.

Marrakesh, Morocco, September 30, 2016