From: Biniam Haile \(SWE\) (eritrea.lave@comhem.se)
Date: Mon Dec 28 2009 - 19:57:37 EST
THIS DAY (TANZANIAN NEWSPAPER)
The Voice of Transparency
Ethiopia betrays Africa at Copenhagen
Thursday, December 24th, 2009
24 December 2009 -THE misunderstanding among Africans when it comes to
making crucial decisions came to light last week during the UN Climate
Change conference held in the Danish capital Copenhagen. After two weeks
of intensive negotiations, the African group made a formal submission to
the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change on Africa's position on
dealing with climate change.
Unfortunately, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi who is the
spokesman of Africa on climate change uncharacteristically teamed up
with France and heavily doctored the African document, a move that
shocked the African negotiators.
Following this unprecedented move, more hard questions were asked by the
African negotiators, journalists and members of the civil society but
there were no readily available answers. Who formed the Ethiopia-France
alliance to represent Africa? How was France picked to represent Africa
on climate change issues?
Why Ethiopia, speaking on behalf of Africa, took a unilateral decision
to compose a text for presentation to the Conference of Parties (COP 15)
leaders which was contrary to earlier agreement by the continent's
negotiators?
All this amount to the betrayal of the African continent. Period.
The text document entitled: The Joint Appeal of France and Ethiopia,
Representing Africa, for an Ambitious Copenhagen Accord, reads that
France and Ethiopia, representing Africa, launch today (December 16) an
appeal to all parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change to adopt an ambitious agreement on December 18 limiting
the increase of temperatures 2C above compared to preindustrial times as
recommended by the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC),
and ensuring that vulnerable countries will receive adequate financing
to face the challenge.
For instance, the document presented by Zenawi shows that the African
countries had pushed for the adoption of a "fast-start" fund of $10bn
per year covering the next three years from 2010 through 2012 but the
original document puts the figure at $600bn.
In addition, the doctored document indicated that 40 per cent of the
fund should be dedicated to adaptation in Africa while the original
agreement was 50 per cent of the fund.
Adding salt to the wound, the document stated that a high-level group
composed of developed and developing countries' experts will bring
forward recommendations with a preliminary report to be presented no
later than the next G20 summit in Canada, and its final report not later
than the November 2010 G20 summit in Korea.
One may ask, why involve the G20 summits when they have nothing to do
with the Copenhagen Climate Change negotiations?
And African parliamentarians and civil society leaders who attended the
conference condemned the proposals made by Prime Minister Meles Zenawi
saying his statement had no official bearing on the negotiations and it
undermined the bold position of African negotiators and ministers
represented at the conference.
A furious Mithika Mwenda of Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance said if
Prime Minister Zenawi wanted to sell out the lives and hopes of Africans
for a pittance - he was welcome to - but that is not Africa's position.
Mr Meles' announcement reeked of "divide and rule" tactics designed to
subjugate Africa and undermine good faith in the United Nations
negotiations.
African renowned environmentalist, Prof. Wangari Maathai, might have
predicted the situation when she cautioned that the UN Climate Change
conference might not come out with a perfect document.
She said she has been attending UN meetings since 1976 where delegates
argue and wrangle over language and money, and at the end of the day no
delegate leaves the conference with a perfect document and a perfect
financial mechanism to implement their dreams.
Prof. Maathai, a Nobel Peace Laureate, Goodwill Ambassador for the Congo
Basin Forest Ecosystem and UN Messenger of Peace, was indeed prophetic.
And the Copenhagen conference on climate change might not be any
different taking into account the surprise move by Prime Minister
Zenawi.
Frankly speaking, Prime Minister Zenawi should relinquish his position
as spokesman for Africa on Climate Change lest he makes Africa a
laughing stock.
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