Sena Alouka, AYICC Founder leads the AYICC Delegation in AMCEN 13th Session: Bamako, Mali

Many of you would like to know how this wonderful movement was founded. Today, i blog Sena Alouka the man behind AYICC since 2006. He dreamt, and gathered young people across Africa to help realize the dream.
He has worked tirelessly for the movement, and even now, when he is just an advisor in the movement, he does more than anyone one else.
He is currently in Bamako, Mali, with a group of young Africans, mostly the French speaking countries, participating and representing the youth agenda to the African Ministers at the 13th Session of the African Ministerial Conference on Environment (AMCEN) http://hqweb.unep.org/roa/amcen/Amcen_Events/13th_Session/default.asp
After attending countless meetings with the governments, NGOs and insitutions and the international Community, Sena realized that if young people are never there to present their pesperctives, then no one will.
He has therefore been mobilizing funds over the years to ensure that the Africna youth voice is heard at national, regional and international levels. He was the man behind the African youth representaiton in Copenhagen for the UNFCCC meeting in December 2009.
This week in Mali, the youth representatives have been spending time with the African Ministers, the CSOs and the international Community reprsentatives present, sharing their work, and their views on the AMCEN agenda in 2010.
Read below the Statement read by one the youth representatives to the AMCEN participants. Its a direct French-English translation.


Sena Alouka, discusses the Youth statement with the rest of the African youth representatives in the middle of the night.

STATEMENT OF THE AFRICAN YOUTH INITIATIVE ON CLIMATE CHANGE (AYICC)

IN THE MARGINS OF THE CONFERENCE OF MINISTERS OF AFRICA'S ENVIRONMENT (AMCEN)
21 to 25 March 2010, BAMAKO, MALI

Presented by:
M Mawuse Edzromi HOUNTONDJI KODJO
Executive Director
NGO Youth Volunteers for the Environment, Benin
Tel: +229-77294660, email: jvebenin@gmail.com
www.ong-jve.org
Cotonou, Benin

My name Mawuse young Beninese. I do not want to tell the story of my family and what my brothers and I had lived following the recent floods, never before we had known.
But I speak on behalf of young Chad Djim whose dad, a fisherman is now unemployed because of the rapid shrinking of Lake Chad and in its attempt to access the island Lampeduzza seen in his canoe capsized. I speak on behalf of Hope, Ugandan girl whose house has been buried by landslides. I speak on behalf of young Senegalese Doudou Dabo Rufisque whose ancestors buried for decades 'resurrected' because of coastal erosion. I am speaking of Aisha, a young Algerian girl, whose home is now underwater due to floods. I'll stop here because the list may be very long because millions of young people living the same reality in our continent. I am not speaking as a victim, I do not want our stories to tell here but I want to talk reason. I do not want to cry but I want to make you think.

Climate change is already destroying lives of thousands of young Africans like me and cancel the hope of a better life to millions of others. Today it is a matter of life or death, survival of our generation. Actions should not wait.


Therefore, in our statement to the third extraordinary session of AMCEN in Nairobi in May 2009, had proposed the vote of our cousin Trevor Gitonga, 13 years young Kenyan, a firm position of African governments face the challenge climate change in Copenhagen.
Unfortunately, our hopes have been disappointed seen the results of negotiations. However we welcome here and with great pride the work done by our governments through the environment ministers on the issue of climate change has become a key restraint to achieving the Millennium Development Goals and to Copenhagen have spoken of a single voice.

We recognize that you've wanted to do more but you are in front of large inertia, so here we express all our support and our determination to make our modest contribution to solving this problem.

You asked for developed countries making a commitment to ambitious targets - 40% by 2020 and at least -80% by 2050, we agree.


You asked that the issue of adaptation to become a priority in the negotiations, we agree
You have requested that the intellectual property rights are modified to allow access to technology for adaptation and mitigation at a reasonable cost and appropriate, we support you.

You also asked that the financial resources to the tune of 400 billion dollars per annum, are additional and predictable funding for adaptation and mitigation, we also support.
Aware that it is possible to change policy and not change the science,
We young people of Africa require expressly that:
Position in African science is refreshed and strengthened to include an overall objective of keeping temperature increase below 1.5 ° C and carbon dioxide concentrations below 350 ppm.

The Kyoto Protocol could be maintained after 2012 as a binding instrument, with Annex I countries have to reduce their emissions by at least 50% compared to 1990 levels by 2017. We urge the U.S. to join the Kyoto Protocol or at least making comparable efforts under the Convention.


We recommend:


That all African countries to set up a National Adaptation Fund (ANF) to climate change, fueled by domestic financial resources so that our State budgets reflect our aspirations to enhance our adaptive capacity, and engage in development low-carbon economy.

That Adaptation-Based Community (ABC) is placed at the center of the Schedules development in our country to not only reduce our vulnerability but also guarantee the
right of all development.

That all African countries put in place a framework for exchange and discussion so that popular discussions are made on the issue of climate change and that your positions are those of the African people and not that of your experts.
What efforts are consistent provided to implement Article 6 of the Framework for Action in New Delhi on education, awareness and informing the public so that our brothers and sisters have access to information quality enabling them to take suitable action against climate variability.
That the civil society organizations are involved in national discussions on climate change and are incorporated in official delegations to participate in negotiations.

As such, we ask that the final report of this session contains a resolution:
- Recognizing the IJACC (the African Youth Initiative on Climate Change), now the largest youth network on the continent in terms of advocacy and the fight against climate change, the status of official observer 'AMCEN, the CAHOSOCC and the African Union.
- Encouraging each African state to include young people in official delegations to participate in negotiations on the climate.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The solutions to climate change are there, simple, affordable and effective. The world has simply decided to ignore them. We ask you to be vigilant against the promises and delaying magic solutions that scientists who play demigod offer. Capture and carbon storage, modification of ecosystems by engineering technology such as ocean fertilization, biochar, biofuels, Genetic Modified Organisms and the carbon market that deserves you to take a new look as realistic and critical African realities. Clearly, we need energy to run our companies and ensure our development but we must be careful fever trend for large hydroelectric dams and nuclear power.


The African Union, we are the young, we is Africa, Generation 2050, the active and engaged. We as youth must live in a world shaped by your decisions. Therefore, we thank you for having granted us the opportunity to be here and contribute to your trade.

Our survival is not negotiable, we ask you now to give us the opportunity to work hand in and with us, for our common future.


Thank you for your attention!

Comments

  1. I am proud to be part of the movement that has contributed greatly to who i am today. I hope the small actions of these African youth will continue inspiring other youth all over the world to take action regardless of their situations.

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  2. Picture Lake Chad restored, gracing the land with daily "lake effect" rains, as it did in the long gone days of my youth. Picture the Sahel green, the people well fed, the rivers flowing freely. IT CAN BE! YOU CAN DO IT! What is in the way is several million Hectares of weeds, primarily Typha Australis. The weeds must be cleared, the silt they have produced removed and used elsewhere to fight erosion. But the weeds will not stay clear, you will clear them forever, which means you must do so at a profit. The weeds are pure biomass, readily converted into fuel in many manners. Some of the Typha is fit for human consumption, but the plant's habit of absorbing pollutants means use it with care. The youth of Africa are the ones who must do it. Cleaning the pipes of the cooling system is the best way to fight climate change. I can't, YOU CAN!

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  3. Amazing,amazing,amazing,I am so proud to be part of this movement.Bravo to all the African youth who toil hard each day to make a difference......together we shall achieve what we aspire to....

    ReplyDelete

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