DAR ES SALAAM: TANZANIA has begun training young climate negotiators from across Africa, bringing together more than 60 participants from 20 countries to strengthen the continent’s voice in global climate talks.
The initiative follows a decision by African Heads of State at the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in February this year, selecting Tanzania to host a specialised centre for training young Africans in climate change negotiations.
Opening the first three-day training in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday evening, Permanent Secretary in the Vice-President’s Office (Union and Environment), Dr Richard Muyungi, described the centre as a major diplomatic achievement reflecting President Dr Samia Suluhu Hassan’s efforts to secure Tanzania’s selection.
“This is a great honour for our country. We thank the President for her efforts. This is a major diplomatic achievement, and for the first time, we have more than 60 young people from 20 African countries participating in this training,” he said.
Dr Muyungi said the inaugural training marks an important step towards establishing the centre as a platform for preparing young Africans to participate effectively in international climate negotiations.
He said the Vice-President’s Office has coordinated preparations for the initiative since last year, when Tanzania chaired the African Group of Negotiators (AGN), reaffirming the country’s commitment to providing professional, high-quality training.
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The programme also prepares participants for the 31st Conference of the Parties (COP31), scheduled to take place in Antalya, Türkiye, next month.
Trainers from Tanzania and other African countries, including Tunisia, Algeria, The Gambia and South Africa, are participating in the sessions.
Dr Muyungi urged young Africans to believe in their abilities and use their knowledge, skills and ideas to influence international climate discussions, saying the continent has the capacity to compete with other regions and contribute to global solutions.
“Young Africans have the ability to compete with their counterparts from other continents and bring about change in climate-related issues,” he said.
He said the African Group of Negotiators has established common positions and approaches to guide the continent’s participation in climate negotiations, urging young people to uphold these shared priorities as they prepare to assume greater responsibilities.
“Young people should prioritise Africa’s collective interests rather than be influenced by the positions of other country groups whose priorities and interests may differ from ours,” he stressed.
Training Coordinator Sarah Pima called on African governments to establish sustainable mechanisms to enable young people to participate meaningfully in international climate negotiations, including allocating dedicated budgets to support their attendance at global meetings.
She said strengthening the transfer of knowledge and experience from seasoned climate experts to younger generations is equally important in preparing capable representatives for future negotiations.
“One important strategy is to strengthen intergenerational knowledge transfer, ensuring that experience and expertise are passed from senior professionals to young people to prepare them as strong representatives in these negotiations,” she said.
A participant from Zambia, Dr Mwaka Namukonda, said the training will equip young people with the skills needed to negotiate at international climate change meetings and address the impacts of climate change.
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Representative Dr Abbas Kitogo said Africa contributes relatively little to global greenhouse gas emissions but continues to face severe climate-related impacts, including floods, droughts and other environmental challenges.
He said African countries need stronger negotiating capacity to secure climate finance and reach international agreements that reflect the continent’s development needs.
Dr Kitogo added that effective participation in global climate talks is essential to securing resources for climate action and developing infrastructure capable of withstanding the growing impacts of climate change.