The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Ban Ki-Moon met in Paris on Tuesday with Ghana’s President. John Dramani Mahama, and four other West African Heads of States on the margins of the Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP 21).
A statement issued at the United Nations headquarters in New York today said “They discussed the urgent need to reach an ambitious agreement on climate change that addresses the needs of the most vulnerable countries, especially in the context of significant challenges such as the disappearance of Lake Chad, deforestation and reduced rainfall in West Africa”.
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The statement said that the Secretary-General commended Africa’s proactive leadership on the issue of climate change, as demonstrated by the initiatives on renewable energy and on adaptation the continent launched in Paris.
Mr. Ban Ki-Moon and the Heads of States which included Mr. Alpha Condé, President of Guinea, Mr. Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, President of Mali, Mr.Mahamadou Issoufou, President of Niger and Mr. Muhammadu Buhari, President of Nigeria also agreed that climate finance, parity between adaptation and mitigation and access to renewable energy technology were key issues for African countries.
The Secretary-General and the African leaders further agreed to exchange ideas and work together towards effective ways of preventing and countering terrorism.
Attended by 150 countries and heads of States, the COP21 for the first time in over 20 years of UN negotiations, aims at achieving a legally binding and universal agreement on climate, with the aim of keeping global warming below 2°C.