NCF, Ford Foundation Sponsor CSOs To Dubai Climate Change Confab

To strengthen civil society organisations’ voices on climate justice in Nigeria, the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) in partnership with Ford Foundation has provided funds for members of the Nigeria Climate Justice Alliance (NCJA).

The NCF director-general, Dr Joseph Onoja, said seven members of the Alliance had been selected to participate in the upcoming 28th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28) in Dubai, United Arab Emirate (UAE) between November 30 and December 12, 2023.

In July 2023, the Nigeria Climate Justice Alliance was launched in Abuja with the objective to strengthen and raise CSOs’ voices on climate justice in Nigeria through delivering climate actions that benefit the most vulnerable group in a just and equitable manner.

He said members of the Alliance would have the opportunity to meet with world leaders and delegates from 192 countries who are parties to the convention and hundreds of observation organisations and international governmental organisations. It will create an opportunity for their local voices to be heard at a global stage in Dubai where leaders can be held accountable for their national commitment and ask for more ambitious climate commitment.

Onoja said the NCF as the secretariat of the NCJA will coordinate, mobilise, support, and provide guidance for these members throughout their participation in the conference.

NCJA members will also attend side events, bilateral meetings, mentorship forums while championing climate justice campaigns and ensuring that nature is prioritized in the climate negotiations. For some of the beneficiaries, it will be their first COP experience and they are excited to be selected for this life-changing experience.

This year COP 28 will deliver the final global stock taking (GST) after the Paris Agreement was reached in 2015 to assess the impact of the world’s climate actions.

This will provide the opportunity to track how the world is keeping the global average temperature within the limit of 1.5oC and call on world leaders to ramp up ambitious commitment. Participants are also eager to see the finalisation of the development of the framework on the Loss and Damage Fund established in Sham El-Sheikh. As the world anticipates a greater COP 28 outcome, it is expected that climate negotiators will adopt multilateralism, unite, and act for a better planet.