Africa-Press – Angola. The African Union Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment warned Monday in Addis Ababa that climate change is worsening poverty rates and threatening the safety and well-being of populations, particularly in Africa.
Josefa Correia Sacko, who spoke via videoconference at the International Conference of Partners on the Blue Economy, organized by the Cape Verdean Government, stressed that the preparation of a strategic plan for sustainable development is a fundamental step towards achieving a prosperous and sustainable future in particularly for the people of the African continent.
“Small island developing States, such as Cape Verde, face existential threats resulting from climate change. Urgent and decisive measures are needed to face this challenge”, defended the Angolan diplomat, quoted in a note from the African Union.
Sacko commended Cape Verde for taking a leadership role in this regard, including holding the 9th Conference on Climate Change and Development in Africa in 2021, which adopted the Declaration of Santa Maria.
The African Union Commission, informed, is proceeding with the implementation of the Action Plan for Green Recovery and the “Action Strategy for Climate Change and Resilient Development, which place a great emphasis on the needs of island developing countries, building resilience in key sectors such as tourism, which is heavily dependent on the climate, and promoting food security through the promotion of smart agriculture.
Josefa Sacko recognized that Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are at the forefront of disasters induced by climate change, which is why the African Union (AU) is committed to expanding its support to disaster risk reduction through our alert system and quick action. She ensured that the AU “situation room” is prepared to provide critical data and preparedness support to Member States that enables “planning and resilience building”.
Highlighted importance of the blue economy
According to the AU Commissioner, the blue economy presents a huge opportunity to promote sustainable economic transformation and address the challenges posed by climate change, with great emphasis on the role of women in the blue economy, as well as the promotion of research and development to ensure transformation and capacity building.
“Moreover, as we navigate the current food security crisis, we must strengthen our blue food systems, noting that our common African position on food security recognizes the importance of seafood and fisheries in our continent’s diet,” defended.
Josefa Sacko recognized that Cape Verde is well positioned to take advantage of the blue economy and has already made significant progress in this area. She warned, however, that it must be ensured that the development of the blue economy is sustainable and does not have negative impacts on the environment or on the livelihoods of local communities.
Sacko stressed that, for this year, the AU has mobilized all its attention on the African Continental Free Trade Area and will ensure that countries that are geographically distant from the continent and do not have economies of scale can benefit from its transformative vision.
The AU commissioner defended that debt restructuring, access to concessional financing, gender-sensitive funds to mitigate the impacts of climate change, as well as Cape Verde’s proposal to create the Fund for Climate and Environment will allow achieving the objectives long-term.
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