Accra, March 15, GNA - A three-day Pan African conference on climate change to reflect on issues discussed at the United Nations Conference on Climate Change held in Copenhagen, Denmark, in December last year, opened in Accra on Monday

The conference is being organised by the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA), a group of Civil Society Organizations (CSO) working to secure a climate change deal that will safeguard the environment. In addition, it would enable PACJA to strategise and find a way to engage governments to fast track implementation of policies to safeguard the environment.

Over 60 participants drawn from 33 African countries are attending the conference.

Mr. Mithika Mwenda, Coordinator of PACJA, addressing the opening session, said it formed part of various actions by CSO to put pressure on industrialised nations to commit themselves to a realistic policy which would reverse the accelerating concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

"We are gathering at a time when all efforts to defeat the challenge of climate change are meeting huge boulders of rocks and when time is indeed running out for the global community to act, and act decisively to reverse the accelerating impacts of climate change, which poses grave danger to ambitious efforts by African Governments to pull millions of Africans from deepening poverty," Mr. Mwenda said.

Mr. Mwenda said Africa "is at the crossroads of decisively acting on climate change and safeguarding marginal development achievements" and urged African leaders to push for a fair, effective and legally-binding international climate change treaty.

He described the outcome of the Copenhagen Summit as "a sad deal" which was handed to developing countries.

Mr. Mwenda said PACJA recognised and appreciated the important role African Governments were playing in the on-going international climate change discussions and pledged PACJA's readiness to contribute to enhance the African voice at those discussions.

"That is why we chose to have this conference in Accra where the Economic Community for West African States (ECOWAS) is meeting to develop a climate change strategy for the West African Sub-region," he said. Mr. George Awudi, Chairman of the Local Organising Committee of PACJA, Ghana, said the issue of climate change had moved from environmental concern to political will and urged governments to adopt measures to curb the devastating phenomenon.

Ms. Sherry Ayitey, Minister of Environment, Science and Technology urged the PACJA to share its experiences with national governments to support policy work at national, regional and continental levels. In a speech read on her behalf by Dr. Nicholas Iddi, National Coordinator, Ghana Environmental Conventions Coordinating Administration at the Ministry, said the Ministry considered CSOs as key stakeholders in the environmental management in the country and would continue to work together with them in policy making, implementation, monitoring and evaluation for the good of the environment.

She said even though the Copenhagen Summit could not produce a favourable deal for the continent, the willingness of global leaders to participate in the conference showed that climate change was a threat to socio-economic development which must be resolved through a multilateral approach.

Ms. Ayittey said this called for a critical analysis of the Copenhagen Accord adding, the Ministry had been analysing the document to identify the opportunities and challenges to find adequate responses. She commended PACJA for organising the conference saying, its outcome would serve a useful purpose for the continent. 15 March 10