Trans-African Climate Caravan of Hope to 17th (2011) UN Climate Change Conference in Durban, South Africa

Trans-African Climate Caravan of Hope to 17th (2011) UN Climate Change Conference in Durban, South Africa

http://www.pacja.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=80:consultative-workshop-for-the-trans-african-caravan-of-hope&catid=7:home

1.0 Introduction

Climate change and global poverty have attracted considerable attention in recent years as key global justice challenges of our times. An effective attack on poverty and the ill effects of climate change requires taking comprehensive action that encompasses both issues. The global climate change crises arise principally from the unsustainable economic growth and consumption policies and practices, historically of the advanced industrial countries and the elites/wealthy in developing countries. Ironically, however, the poor and vulnerable people in Africa and other developing countries with the least responsibility for climate change stand to suffer most from its current and future consequences.

The resultant consequences of climate change – prolonged and more frequent droughts, floods, shortages of clean water, the need to transition to a low carbon development pathways, provision of affordable energy for domestic purposes, food security and human vulnerability – have exposed the vulnerability of Africa’s economy to (i) erratic supply of environmental/ecosystem services (ii) a crippling energy crisis (iii) now-too-frequent environmental catastrophes and humanitarian crisis (iv) the global discourse and trends relating to climate change that has failed to address Africa’s vulnerability.

Consequently, international action on climate change must address three inter-related objectives: (a) arrest the rise in global temperatures, while dealing with the effects of climate change that are already being felt by the poor and vulnerable, and (b) ensure space for Africa’s development and in support of a just transition to a low-carbon (green) economy and (c) a paradigm shift that supports strategies for achieving equitable development, realising human rights, and the well-being of populations in the context of sustainable development.

And to be held in Durban South Africa later in the year, the United Nation Climate Change Conference has been hailed as one of the most crucial Conference of Parties in the history of the Convention at least since the COP 15 held in 2009. During the entire period of Bali Roadmap, PACJA has tried to mobilise African Civil Society to push for a fair and equitable agreement, with relative success.

African countries and poor communities across the globe expect that COP 17 will mark the point at which a global agreement binding all the parties in the convention to an emission cuts treaty. There is much hope owing to the fact that the COP is being held in the continent which is worst affected by Climate Change and indeed the one that urgently requires action on the part of policymakers to enable its inhabitants to adapt to the adverse effects.

In preparation for the COP, the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance has organised a series of activities leading up to the COP that are geared towards not only raising awareness but also lobbying Governments both in the North and South to adopt a collaborative effort to work towards a legally binding deal. One of these activities is the Trans African Caravan of Hope – a major mobilisation effort which will involve around 10 countries from Eastern and Southern Africa, with strong mobilisation targeting the period before, during and after the COP17.

3.0 The Caravan

The Trans African Climate Caravan of Hope is a road show that will seek to galvanise the cross-country stakeholder voices, with an ultimate aim of telling the African story while making known the demands of Africa among its inhabitants and the rest of the world. The Caravan is a huge mobilisation and awareness creation opportunity for African civil society to highlight the challenges climate change poses to Africa’s efforts to extricate herself from poverty and attainment of Millennium Development Goals.

The caravan is set to run through 8countries[1] and cover approximately 7,184KMS (please see map above) and will bring together Civil Society Organisations working from diverse backgrounds in Eastern and Southern Africa. An inter-state taskforce with three representatives from each participating country has been established to manage the caravan.

Many factors, including viability of the caravan, road network linking the countries and experience of such an exercise were considered when determining the route of the Caravan. An organisation like PELUM[2] undertook such an activity during the WSSD[3], while during the 2010 World CUP in South Africa, Kampala Coach[4] transported football fans to the fair through the same route.

Indeed, a lot of support was given by the transport company when a tentative mapping out of the route was being done, with the countries, travel days and the route proposed as shown in the table below[5].

Symbolic activities will be undertaken in countries where the caravan will not be passing through, though some civil society organisations have indicated their willingness to join the activity at strategic positions of their convenience. The African Peoples’ Protocol, forming the demands of African civil society to their governments and the global communities will be handed over in style during stop-overs at capitals[6].

TENTATIVE ROUTE FOR THE CARAVAN
Day	Location	Activities	Departure	Arrival/location	Distance(KMS)	Time(HRS)
1	Bujumbura	Breakfast Flagging Off Border crossing Lunch Petition Border Crossing	0800Hrs 1500Hrs	Kanyaru 1030H Rwanda-Kigali (Arrival 1330Hrs	279	4hrs
2	Kampala Uganda	Sleepover Breakfast Petition Lunch Border Crossing Dinner Sleepover Breakfast Petition Lunch	1100Hrs 1330Hrs 21400Hrs 100Hrs	0000Hrs Jinja 1230Hrs Malaba1500Hrs Nakuru2000Hrs	843	11hrs
3	Namanga Arusha	Border Crossing Dinner Sleepover	1700Hrs 0700Hrs	Namanga1600Hrs Arusha1830Hrs	1681	21.5hrs
4	Mombo Dar Es Salam	Lunch Sleepover Breakfast Petition	1330Hrs 1000Hrs	Mombo 1200Hrs Dar -Es Salam 1800Hrs	1173	16hrs
5	Morogoro Mbeya Tunduma Lusaka	Lunch Dinner Sleepover Pack Lunch for later Border Crossing Packed Lunch & Dinner Sleepover Breakfast Petition Lunch	1400Hrs 0700Hrs 1100Hrs 1300Hrs	Morogoro 1300Hrs Mbeya 2100Hrs Tunduma 0900Hrs Lusaka (Arrival 2300Hrs	1829	24.5hrs
6	Livingstone Kazungula Francistown	Sleepover Breakfast Victoria falls scenic view Lunch Departure Border Crossing Dinner Sleepover Breakfast	1400Hrs 1700Hrs 0800Hrs	Livingstone 0000Hrs Kazungula 1600Hrs Francistown 2300Hrs	1012	11.5hrs
7	Gabron Lubatse	Lunch Petition Border Crossing	1530Hrs 1800Hrs	Gabrone 1300Hrs Lubatse 1630Hrs	373	5hrs
8	Pretoria Durban	Sleepover Breakfast Petition Lunch Arrival in Durban	1230Hrs	Pretoria 2300Hrs Durban 2100Hrs	630	6.5hrs

Goal

To galvanise and consolidate African people’s[7] voices and efforts so as to highlight the continent’s priorities, concerns and hope that despite scepticism occasioned by north-south divide in international climate change dialogue processes, UNFCCC-COP17 being held in the most vulnerable region offers an opportunity for a deal capable of saving humanity and the planet.

Objectives

· To mobilise and rally together African Civil Society towards a common advocacy and campaign demands (the urgency of genuinely acting on climate change) towards UNFCCC-COP17 and beyond

· To create awareness and build momentum towards UNFCCC-COP17 among African people and the rest of the world

· To lobby and pressurise African leaders/policy makers to work together in support of an international climate change treaty that is responsive to the continent’s realities and reality of science.

· To drum up support for pro-people and just responses to climate change

· To share civil society (and African people’s) minimum expectations of the COP17 through presentation of petitions (African People’s Protocol) to influential political actors (the Heads of State)

5.0 Organisation

The three members of the inter-state taskforce, drawn from respective national platforms (and where there are no platforms key organisations/networks) will be expected to spearhead a proactive engagement mechanism to ensure expanded ownership to the largest extent possible. Pre-Caravan activities including, but not limited to the following will be encouraged;

§ Regular meetings to discuss broader involvement of various groups; this would include announcing the Caravan to key meetings of national platforms and seeking views from members on how they think their role could be.

§ Mapping out key stakeholder groups planning such activities and seeking areas of synergy

§ Engagement with stakeholder – Government and identified negotiators and seeking their views.

§ Generation of appropriate messages – e.g. documentaries and “African People’s Protocol”

Expected outcome

1. A unified position and issues for civil society ahead of UNFCCC-COP17
2. Heightened consciousness of climate change and its direct link with socio-economic development efforts in Africa
3. Increased interest by a cross section of African civil society organisations to participate in climate change (and UNFCCC) processes
4. Key African issues (and demands) highlighted to policy makers in Africa and globally

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[1] Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Botswana, South Africa

[2] Participatory Ecological Land Use Management Association (PELUM) is a coalition of farmers organisations from 10 countries in Eastern and Southern Africa.

[3] World Summit on Sustainable Development was held in South Africa in 1992.

[4] See the Company profile on http://www.kampalacoach.com/. Discussions are underway to forge a mutually-beneficial partnership that will make PACJA and Kampala Coach roll out the activity successfully.

[5] To stay for 12 days then return to Nairobi while site-seeing; total kilometres = 7,184; total hrs = 93

[6] This will be elaborated in due course as development of the manifesto is a highly consultative process that ensures that views of all stakeholders are captured.

[7] African peoples here refers to community groups, Faith-based organisations, Women, NGOs, Youth, Indigenous peoples, etc