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Statement by CVF Presidency Incoming Chair, H.E. Nana Akufo-Addo, Hon’ble President of Ghana

Statement by CVF Presidency Incoming Chair, H.E. Nana Akufo-Addo, Hon’ble President of Ghana

Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) Presidency Handover Ceremony

Statement by H.E. Nana Akufo-Addo

Hon’ble President of Ghana, Incoming Chair of the CVF

25 May 2022

Thank you for giving me the floor,

 

CVF Thematic Ambassador Saima Wazed,

Honorable Ministers of the CVF Troika,

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon,

Your Excellency Sheikh Hasina Hon’ble Prime Minister of Bangladesh

 

Excellencies, Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

We meet today at a pressing time for our nations and our planet. Working together, we are ensuring that the voices of the most vulnerable are being heard on the world stage. Indeed, it is time for the world as a whole to step up to the challenge of climate change. Ghana is honored to accept this great challenge to be the upcoming CVF Presidency and represent the country members from all around the world.

I would like to begin by extending full and sincere congratulations to Bangladesh and in particular to Her Excellency Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, for the global climate leadership that you have demonstrated these past two years. Bangladesh’s successes in leading the Climate Vulnerable Forum and V20 are a credit to your nation and represent a service for all vulnerable nations. You have set the bar very high and Ghana will certainly do all we can to further the momentum you have generated in defense of the world’s most climate threatened nations.

I wish to also recognize the work of the CVF Troika, and in particular, Ethiopia who concludes its service in this role after many years of important contributions. Likewise, I wish to recognize the efforts of the Global Center on Adaptation in supporting the CVF and V20 as its secretariat. Thank you Secretary-General Ban and CEO Verkooijen [“ver-koyee-en”] for your and your teams’ engagement.

The most vulnerable countries are already facing the reality of climate change first hand. Specifically for Africa, it accounts for the smallest share of global greenhouse gas emissions – at just 3% of global emissions – and yet it is the most affected continent by the impacts of climate change. African countries are presently facing the stark realities these impacts bring, with loss and damage being experienced, and adaptation limits already being reached.

Ghana will follow in the footsteps of the CVF’s previous presidents in being a voice for the voiceless. As Chair of the CVF, Ghana will pursue the call for major emitters to strengthen their 2030 mitigation targets in order to key the 1.5°C target on which our survival depends within reach. We will also put a top priority on ensuring that adaptation financing is increased and that international loss and damage funding is unlocked. We call for an Implementation Plan for doubling climate adaptation finance by 2025. We will work to expand CVF membership, particularly in Africa.

Likewise, we will work to make the CVF Global Parliamentary Group’s Charter a reality by making active cooperation among our members’ parliamentarians a reality. In addition, we plan toto launching the Migrants4Climate initiative to raise awareness about climate migration and displacement and to leverage migrants’ role in climate action. As a member of the UN Security Council, we will work to address the climate crisis that has emerged as a serious threat to global security and stability at the council.

Ghana welcomes the engagement of the CVF Thematic Ambassadors and thanks Ambassador Saima for her report on the Ambassadors important activities. We intend to further this work by establishing the first ever youth program of the CVF and to appoint a youth ambassador for the CVF during Ghana’s presidency.

Excellencies,

Due to negative climatic impacts, Ghana calls for much greater ambition from developed countries to support accelerated adaptation actions throughout the world. Here in Africa, we are calling for the full realization of the 25 billion dollar Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program. We will also work to strengthen the donor base of the critical UN managed CVF and V20 Joint Multi-Donor Fund established by Bangladesh and the Marshall Islands. More generally, when Ghana takes over the presidency of the V20 Ministers of Finance of the CVF this fall, we will continue to further all of the V20 Group’s key priorities on unlocking finance for climate action, reducing the financial protection gap, and working for an international financial system that is fit-for-purpose to fight climate crisis.

Bangladesh has created its Climate Prosperity Plan, or CPP, and we will take forward this important program. We plan to take climate actions that are bold and make sense for our development as we seek to emerge prosperous. We will expediently begin work on our own ambitious climate prosperity plan. We call on all partners in the international community to lend full support behind the development and realization of our vulnerable nations’ valiant efforts to develop prosperity plans.

Excellencies,

With the ongoing support of Bangladesh and the Troika, I am confident that we will be able to deliver to the world and to ourselves, a strong and positive message, demonstrating to the world that we are determined and resilient, and our voices will only get louder and stronger.

Once again, Ghana feels incredibly honored to accept this greater challenge to be the next CVF Presidency and represent the most vulnerable countries part of the CVF, and to build on all the great work which was done during the past 2 years of Bangladesh as CVF Chair.

I thank you.

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