Informing provincial stakeholders on the legal framework for climate change and the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC)
Global context:
As part of this South-South Exchange (SSE) on the legal framework of climate change, the NGO JUREC has developed an initiative to inform provincial stakeholders to enable them to better prepare for combating the adverse effects of climate change and to support projects in their provinces.
Overall objectives of the exchanges in the DRC
The main objective of this SSE is to contribute to capacity building and to develop the knowledge of the beneficiaries (provincial stakeholders) on climate issues in order to enable them to organise themselves to create provincial coordination for the fight against climate change and the implementation of the NDC in the provinces. This SSE enabled the provincial stakeholders to familiarise themselves with the challenges of climate issues to better understand their role in the fight against climate change and lay the foundations for a dynamic of research and interest in climate change issues at the provincial level.
Participant countries: Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
Venue(s): DRC, Various provinces
Summary of exchanges in each province:
1 April 2023 – 31 December 2023
Province of Maniema – Mai-Ndombe
With the participation and strong involvement of the province’s political and administrative authorities, the workshop, which was organised from 14 to 16 August 2023 with funding from Global Affairs Canada (GAC) and support from Alinea International, brought together more than 30 delegates from the institutions concerned (including five women), The aim was to raise awareness and inform provincial stakeholders, with a view to building their capacities and developing their knowledge of climate issues, and to arouse their interest in and support for the fight against climate change and the implementation of the NDC at provincial level.
Kwango Province
Thirty-five delegates from the institutions concerned (including six women) took part in this activity, the main aim of which was to raise awareness and provide information to provincial players to help build their capacities and develop their knowledge of climate issues in order to arouse their interest in and support for the fight against climate change and the implementation of the NDC at the provincial level.
One of the successes of this activity in Kwango was the strong involvement of the provincial government, which took part in the discussions. The commitment of the province’s political authorities was aimed at creating an effective dynamic around the issue of coordinating the NDC initiatives at the provincial level. The workshop was also attended by the highest customary authority in the chiefdom, who works with the communities.
Tshuapa province
This 5th workshop session was held in Boende, in the province of Tshuapa. It was attended by several people working for the Administration at the provincial level and players from the world of scientific and university research.
South Kivu province
With funding from World Affairs Canada (WAC), this workshop brought together some thirty delegates from the institutions concerned, including five women and four representatives of organisations defending the rights of indigenous peoples. The workshop aimed to raise awareness and provide information to provincial stakeholders, to build their capacities and develop their knowledge of climate issues so as to encourage their interest in and support for the fight against climate change and the implementation of the UNCCD at the provincial level, in South Kivu in particular. The presence of representatives from the world of research and universities was of vital importance.
Kwilu Province
Participants learned several things, including their role in implementing the DRC’s NDC, and the background to loss and damage, one of the major topics dealt with at COP 28.
This activity stimulated enthusiasm among the players already involved in combating climate change, mainly through initiatives to raise awareness among local populations of resilience measures in the face of the climate emergency. The 6th and final workshop session was attended by all the targeted stakeholder categories, except for the private sector, some of whom justified their absence by the need to prepare for their participation in COP 28.
Outcomes (summary)
- The workshops raised awareness among stakeholders of the NDC issue, which presents many opportunities for the DRC.
- Coordination of provincial initiatives to implement the NDC has improved the compilation of data and enabled the province to present itself as solution-oriented concerning the problems associated with climate change.
- The technical support with JUREC was beneficial in moving things forward, but to identify financial support from development partners.
- The players from South Kivu undertook to continue their discussions on JUREC’s proposal to set up a provincial exchange framework for the implementation of the CDN.
- The participants would like to see this type of initiative developed and extended throughout the country to coordinate the implementation of the CDN and, more particularly, support their province in the search for funding to develop the initiatives.
- With so much interest in the issue of the NDC among stakeholders in the DRC’s provinces, it is essential that climate policies and actions increasingly involve provincial stakeholders, so that everyone plays a role at all levels and is aligned with the Paris Climate Agreement.
