Buhari to attend Climate Change Conference in Morocco

President Muhammadu Buhari will attend the
22nd Conference of the Parties (COP) to the
United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC), also known as
COP-22, in Marrakech, Morocco, from
November 14-16.
Buhari, according to a statement by the
Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi
Adesina, will participate in the official
opening plenary on November 15 where he will
deliver his national statement during the
High Level Segment of COP 22.
The Presidential address is expected to
highlight, among other key issues, Nigeria’s
unwavering commitment to implementing the
Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs)
and policy actions aimed at tackling climate
change through environmental sustainable
efforts.
He will also rally international support for
the clean-up of Ogoniland in the Niger Delta
and the resuscitation of the Lake Chad Basin.
While in Marrakech, the President is
scheduled to attend the Africa Day
Commemoration at COP 22 with the theme,
“Moving from Commitments to Action with
Intended Nationally Determined Contributions
and African Renewable Energy Initiative.”
He will also attend the Summit of African
Heads of State on the sidelines of the Climate
Change conference.
COP 22, which will be attended by
representatives from 197 countries including
world leaders, environment ministers,
government officials as well as a wide range
of representatives from civil society and the
private sector, is the first meeting of State
Parties since the entry into force of the
landmark Paris Agreement on November 4,
2016.
The legally binding international Agreement
on climate change, among others, addresses
issues of global warming, including its impact
on food security and agriculture.
It would be recalled that President Buhari
signed the Paris Agreement on September 22,
2016 at the margins of the 71st session of the
United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Buoyed by that commitment, the Nigerian
delegation is optimistic that COP22 will provide
a platform to promote and enhance delivery
of the purpose-driven environmental
sustainable agenda of the Federal
Government.