Mr. Damien Mama is the United Nations Resident Coordinator (UNRC) for Togo. He shares information about his role as UNRC, his view on climate change challenges in Togo and the support the UN system is providing to the country towards meeting the goals of the Paris agreement.
What roles can the UNRC play in climate action?
The role, as assigned by the UN Secretary General, is centered on leadership and coordination of operational activities for sustainable development. As Resident Coordinator, I lead the work of the UN Country Team, which consists of all the UN heads of agencies, and that is the highest governing body of the UN in Togo.
The 2030 agenda for sustainable development is at the core of our work and climate change is among the top priorities of the UN in Togo. In this regard and to ensure a coherent approach, we have recently created a UN Togo Climate Change Joint Team with several relevant UN agencies involved. The objective of the joint team is to:
- Establish a coherent package of UN-supported activities that will provide the most effective support to Togo based on the UN’s comparative advantages and identified gaps in national capacity;
- Promote complementarities, leverage existing technical capacities within the UN System, and create a knowledge hub that informs the UN country team action on climate change in Togo.
The joint team had an initial meeting and identified several priority areas for collaboration among the members which includes UNDP, FAO, UNEP, and the UNFCCC’s Regional Collaboration Center in Lome. I am confident about the transformative role that this joint team will have as we start the joint support to Togo on climate policy development and capacity building on climate negotiation processes, taking advantage of lessons learned from other countries in the region.
What are the challenges you perceive in Togo regarding climate change?
Togo is highly dependent on agriculture that employs 60% of the active population, which makes the country vulnerable to the effects of climate change. While Togo has made important progress in recent years, the country’s capacity to predict the likelihood of extreme events and whether patterns remains weak. The main climate risks facing Togo are violent winds, coastal erosion, disruption and poor distribution of rains, with flooding and drought remaining the greatest threats. The country is conscious of these risks and has included them among the priorities of the national development plan.
The 26th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP26) to the UNFCCC is. How is the UN system supporting Togo to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement?
Several UN organizations are supporting Togo towards COP26. For example, UNDP is supporting the country the preparation of national communications and biennial updates on climate change, the implementation and revision of NDCs, and climate finance resource mobilization.
In terms of youth engagement, UNFCCC’s Regional Collaboration Center in Lome is working on establishing the Academy for Global Youth Leadership Empowerment (Africa AGYLE Hub) aimed at empowering and interconnecting young, responsible African citizens, advocates, and entrepreneurs able to drive Africa’s emerging green, sustainable and climate-resilient future. The center also works with the West African Alliance on Carbon Market and Climate Finance to ensure that West African countries including Togo have the institutional capacity and support network for long-term engagement with carbon markets and climate finance under the Paris Agreement.
Additionally, the United Nations Environment Programme provides support to the African Group of Negotiators (AGN) to ensure that the continent speaks with one voice/common position during the COPs. The AGN is working with National Focal Points from all African countries (including Togo) to ensure that they are on the same page and have developed a guideline that is helping African countries to revise their NDCs.
At operational level, FAO has been working with the GEF to strengthen the resilience of local populations and coastal ecosystems to climate change.
Those are just a few examples of what the UN system is doing to support Togo in the area of climate change.
What are the next steps for climate action in Togo?
We are working together to come through this [COVID-19] pandemic, to build back better and to support climate action in Togo. Coordination, partnership, financing, and sustainability remain key. The UN Togo Climate Change Joint Team is an excellent platform that we will take full advantage of to support the national response to climate change related issues in a more coordinated manner.
