Andersen: Africa has new vision for earth, seeks justice not charity

11 / 10 / 2023

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• Sustainable Development

Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Inger Andersen  said Africa has created and crafted this new vision for the earth to drive success. Africa does not want to play that victim role. Africa will step up and cut its emissions, even though they are negligible. Africa is not asking for handouts or charity. Africa is asking for justice, so that Africa can address loss and damage, so that Africa can create resilience.

“We have been privileged to see the Africa Climate Summit taking place here in Nairobi, and we saw a commitment to make a difference, because we know that 100 million people on this continent are affected by weather, climate and water-related hazards, whether it’s too much and flooding, or whether it’s too little and drought. And in the Horn of Africa, we also know that we have been facing the worst drought in 40 years. And that is an injustice,” she said at the Global Lanscapes Forum 2023.

Africa leaders invited everyone to do was essentially to come and invest in the continent, she said, highlighting the importance of investment in Africa, especially in clean energy,  to create jobs and opportunity and poverty reduction. That is the opportunity that lies ahead.

And so, Africa has created and crafted this new vision for the earth to drive success, to deliver on the Kunming Global Biodiversity Framework, to deliver on the Paris Agreement to deliver on the land neutrality measures that are instituted under the Desertification Convention and to deliver on the Decade of Ecosystem Restoration, she highlighted.

“We at the UN, we were proud to announce the World Restoration Flagships, which are some of the most ambitious and the most inspiring examples of communities and nations making peace with nature, to quote my Secretary General, António Guterres,” Andersen said.

“Africa was on the forefront of this announcement because we were proud to see the Great Green Wall being part of these announcements, the small island nation of Comoros and indeed Rwanda and Uganda, all nations that have shown great success in how to restore mountain ecosystems or other ecosystems under threat,” she added.

“But we have to look beyond land and I hope also here at the GLF you will be talking about Africa’s abundant resources for renewable energy. There are massive opportunities, as I mentioned, and by investing in renewable energy, Africa will not only provide energy for itself, but Africa will also have the opportunity to earn foreign currency through exports of energy if it so chooses, or indeed the world has the opportunity to drive investments to Africa for jobs, for industry and for development,” Andersen said.

“So what are we all waiting for? Let’s now roll up our sleeves and get to it. It’s not like we don’t know what to do. I hope that everyone here will be learning about what’s happening in your landscapes and in your community and what you can do to enhance and create greater resilience,” she said.

“We are in the middle of the decade, the UN decade of Ecosystem Restoration. We hope that many that are engaged in restoration will apply for world restoration flagship status and we hope that you will all hold yourselves and your governments and businesses accountable for promises that they have made for commitments that we have made,” she said.

“So please join the generation restoration and help this continent continue to shine,” she concluded.