Climate Change: Buhari To Attend Conference In Morocco
President Muhammadu Buhari will Monday leave for Marrakech, Morocco, to attend the 22nd Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), also known as COP-22.
The President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity Femi Adesina made this known in a statement on Sunday.
Adesina said the event would be taking place between November 14 and 16.
He noted that the president would participate in the official opening plenary on 15 November, where he would deliver his national statement during the High Level Segment of COP 22.
To highlight Nigeria’s contributions
According to the statement, the presidential address is expected to highlight Nigeria’s unwavering commitment to implementing the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and policy actions aimed at tackling climate change through environmental sustainable efforts.
Adesina also disclosed that President Buhari would use the occasion to seek international support for the clean-up of Ogoniland in the Niger Delta and the resuscitation of the Lake Chad Basin.
The president’s media adviser said while in Marrakech, the president would attend the Africa Day Commemoration at COP 22. The theme of the event is “Moving from Commitments to Action with Intended Nationally- Determined Contributions and African Renewable Energy Initiative.”
He said the Nigerian leader would also attend the Summit of African Heads of State on the sidelines of the Climate Change conference.
Representatives from 197 countries expected
The COP 22, will be attended by representatives from 197 countries including world leaders, environment ministers, government officials as well as a wide range of representatives from civil society and the private sector.
The conference is the first meeting of State Parties since the entry into force of the landmark Paris Agreement on 4 November, 2016.
The legally binding international Agreement on climate change, among others, addresses issues of global warming, including its impact on food security and agriculture.
President Buhari signed the Paris Agreement on 22 September, 2016, at the margins of the 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
“Buoyed by that commitment, the Nigerian delegation is optimistic that COP22 will provide a platform to promote and enhance delivery of the purpose-driven environmental sustainable agenda of the Federal Government,” Adesina added.
