SECAM: Ahead of COP27, SECAM to Launch the African Climate Dialogues Communiqué
Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA
Members of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) in collaboration with members of the African Climate Dialogues steering committee are set to launch a document dubbed African Climate Dialogues Communiqué prior to the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference known as the Conference of Parties (COP27), slated for 6-18 November, in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.
After a long process of joint efforts and consultation, the document that brings together suggestions and requests from an African perspective which be launched online on Monday, October 17, at 8:00 am GMT/9:00 am BST/10:00 am CEST.
The African Climate Dialogues is an initiative bringing together Church and civil society actors and other partners including community and religious leaders from across the African continent and European organisations to share African realities, personal experiences and perspectives on key topics related to the COP27.
Prior to the completion of the African Climate Dialogues Communiqué that is yet to be launched, a series of sessions on key areas of concern took place including, “protection of the Congo basin, food systems, agriculture and adaptation, climate finance, loss and damage and finally migration and displacement.”
“The outputs of these dialogues will be shared ahead of and during COP27 through a joint communiqué, which supports ongoing advocacy with a common voice (composed of inputs from climate realities on the ground, spiritual and technical reflections) directed at governments at the national, regional and international levels,” reads an excerpt of a statement by SECAM announcing the upcoming launch.
According to the conveners, Pope Francis’s call for synodality (journeying together in dialogue) “Inspired the participatory dialogues which reflect on climate realities of communities on the ground through the lens of Catholic Social Teachings (CST), as well as climate science, distilling concrete policy outputs for COP27.”
During the launch which will be conducted in both French and English languages, the presentation of the Communique’ will be done by His Eminence Fridolin Cardinal Besungu Ambongo, a member of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (OFM Cap) and the Archbishop of Kinshasa, Congo who will grace the event.
Other presenters who will be part of the launch moderated by Ms. Lucy Espila from Caritas Africa will include the chairman for the African Group of Negotiators Mr. Ephraim Mwepya Shitima from Zambia, the executive director of Climate Action Network (CAN)-International, Mr. Tasneem Essop and the Director of the Loss & Damage Youth Coalition and Negotiator with the Government of Rwanda, Ms. Grace Ineza Umuhoza.
Other Church and civil society actors who are part of the African Climate Dialogues Steering Committee include: SECAM, The African Europe Faith Justice Network (AEFJN), Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA), Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD), Caritas Africa, Caritas Internationalis, International Cooperation for Development and Solidarity (CIDSE), Friends of the Earth Africa, Friends of the Earth International, Jesuits Conference of Africa and Madagascar (JCAM), Jesuits Justice and Ecology Network Africa (JENA), Laudato Si Movement (LSM), Catholic Youth Network for Environmental Sustainability in Africa (CYNESA) and Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund (SCIAF) among others.
The link for the upcoming Tuesday event can found at;
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMkceGtrD0oE9d6y19wVlQTe_j3bhjXxZL_
