The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) and the African Union Development Agency at the 25th session of the conference of parties on climate change (COP25) unveiled a Guide for Integrated Planning in Africa to mainstream the Sustainable Development Goals, AU Agenda 2063, the Nationally Determined Contributions of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.

According to the Director of Programme Innovation and Planning at the African Union Development Agency, Estherine Fotabong, “the Guide supports our vision to harness knowledge to deliver the Africa we want, fostering the development of the continent through effective and integrated planning, coordination and implementation of Agenda 2063 with the Member States, Regional Economic Communities and Pan-African institutions, by leveraging partnerships and technical cooperation”.

African Development Bank’s principal expert, Arona Soumaré, at the Thursday Conference admonished African parliaments to be more concerted in their decision making as it relates to addressing climate change.

“Commitments made must be translated into national legislative initiatives as parliaments are at the heart of the response to climate change. These actions must also be provided with the appropriate financial resources”, he said.

UNDP’s Togo Representative, Aliou Dia, on his part stated that the new guide “will help governments in the continent to accelerate the delivery of the SDGs in the decade of implementation. It will also support the implementation of UNDP’s Climate Promise which help countries revise and submit enhanced NDCs by 2020, and integrate them into their new national development plans”

SOURCE: AGRONIGERIA