Countries Converge In Nigeria To Peer-learn On Strengthening Climate Adaptation, Peacebuilding
By Juliet Ukanwosu
Delegates from Nine African countries, including Nigeria, have converged in Abuja for a 3-day Peer Learning Forum aimed at strengthening alignment between peacebuilding and adaptation plans and processes.
The participating countries include, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Liberia, Mali, Somalia, and South Sudan and Nigeria.
The event which is co-hosted by the Government of Nigeria, the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) Global Network and Canada, with funding by Irish Aid, has experts from various institutions and governments around the world, such as Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, Food and Agriculture Organization, International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD which houses the NAP Global Network), as resource persons.
Speaking on Tuesday during the opening session of the event, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Environment, Salihu Aminu Usman, reiterated the need for urgent solutions to be taken before climate challenge ‘gets out of hand’ resulting in uncontrollable loss of livelihoods and biodiversity.
He explained that while climate change and conflict are often compounding challenges, adapting to the impacts of climate change can be an effective way of breaking the cycle by improving social well-being and addressing root drivers of fragility.
“Doing so in conflict-affected and peace building contexts require strategies for conflict-sensitive adaptation planning and programming that understands the local conflict dynamics associated with climate change and uses this understanding to tackle such dynamics, address climate vulnerabilities, and promote peace,” he said.
Sharing Nigeria’s story, Usman said the country, in its NDC 3.0, made a commitment to reduce Green House Gas emissions, by 47% with international assistance.
He pointed out that although NDCs focus more on mitigation, it made provisions for adaptation strategies by aligning with Nigeria’s NAP, which is in its final stage of completion having been validated.
Speaking further, Usman said: “Nigeria’s NAP, supported by the Green Climate Fund, is building on the identified thematic areas in the National Adaptation Strategy & Plan of Action. A key activity in the process was the conduct of a Climate Risk and Vulnerability Assessment to identify communities’ vulnerabilities and suggest possible adaption options to address these challenges.
“An important issue that was considered in the NAP process is Conflict-Sensitivity and Peacebuilding. Conflicts such as farmer-herder crisis, cattle rustling, banditry among others, which currently threatens the security of our country can be linked to climate change. Links between climate change and fragility mean that it would be a mistake to ignore medium- and long-term adaptation needs in these peace building contexts.”
While noting that conflict-affected states also need to adapt to the impacts of climate change, Usman stated that these states often have high levels of exposure and vulnerability to climate impacts, and low readiness within their governance systems and institutions to manage and recover from these impacts.
Stressing the importance of the Peer learning Forum, he said, “It is important that conflict sensitivity and peacebuilding issues be integrated into the NAP process because its implementation will also reach conflict-prone areas.
Welcoming delegates to the Forum, Director, Department of Climate Change, Federal Ministry of Environment, Dr. (Mrs.) Iniobong Abiola-Awe, stated that the impact of climate change is on the rise across countries, with Nigeria not exempted.
She stated that with the impacts projected to become even more severe under future climate change scenarios, while efforts are on to mitigate them, “the need for adaptation is also very important so that we can adjust our systems and operations to these effects without affecting our daily activities nor jeopardizing our security,” she said.
Stressing the need for conflict-sensitivity issues to be factored into both adaptation and development plans at all levels, Abiola-Awe urged delegates to share knowledge and exchange ideas on how to proceed NAP implementation with the “eye” of conflict-sensitivity and peacebuilding.
Also speaking at the Forum, Director of Nature for Resilience at the IISD, Alec Crawford, said the Forum is meeting at a time when the intersection between climate risks, war, and conflict is no longer abstract.
he said, in many contexts climate change impacts are unfolding alongside insecurity, violence, displacement, and pressures on institutions. This he noted, is shaping not only what kind of climate adaptation is needed, but how it can be realistically planned and implemented.
He explained that NAPs involve choices about resource allocation and about which risks and vulnerabilities are to be addressed, adding that they also depend on coordination across parts of governments.
Underscoring the importance of the Peer Learning Forum, he said they help answer not only the question of how climate change adaptation can be delivered in contexts that are affected by conflict, but how it can be designed in ways that are aware of, and responsive to conflict dynamics.
Subscribe To Newsletter
