Expert working sessions on the development of the African Group of Negotiators technical paper on agriculture and climate change
The African Group of Experts on agriculture will meet to draft the initial chapters of the background paper on the impacts of climate change on agriculture in Africa. They will also prepare country submissions to the UNFCCC secretariat due by 2 September, 2013. The CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) East Africa will facilitate this process.
The Chair of the African Group of Negotiators (AGNs) requested the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the African Climate Policy Centre (ACPC) of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and CCAFS to support in the preparation of the Technical and Position Papers on Agriculture and Climate Change in the context of Africa.
A team of experts from five sub-regions of Africa was created and the first 'Experts meeting' held in May, 2013, hosted by ACPC in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The team agreed on the Conceptual Framework of the Technical Paper, roles and responsibilities for each of the team member and a road map for the remaining period to the 19Conference of the Parties (COP19), which will be held in November 2013 in Warsaw, Poland.
During the period between May and July 2013, the team has been collecting and collating reference materials for the different chapters as set out in the Conceptual Framework. During the sessions in Swaziland, the team are expected to improve on the Working Draft Document with a view to submitting the Zero Draft of the Technical Paper by 31st August 2013. They will also prepare the SBSTA submission on agriculture due to the UNFCCC by 2 September 2013.
