Climate change in West Africa: ECOWAS publishes a guide to implementation of the Paris Agreement for developing countries

The Paris Agreement is an international treaty adopted at the end of 2015, which aims at boosting the global response to the threat of climate change. It relies on the commitment and accountability of countries within a transparency framework, the modalities of which have gradually been further clarified by the Conference of the Parties (COP) since 2015. The Contracting Parties to the Agreement include the 17 West African States in the ECOWAS and CILSS (the Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel) area.

With the support of the GCCA+ West Africa project, the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources of the ECOWAS Commission has published a "Guide to implementation of the Paris Agreement for ECOWAS Member States", with financial support from the European Union under the Intra-ACP GCCA+ programme and the technical supervision provided by Expertise France, the implementing agency of the project.

The guide seeks to help developing countries fulfil their obligations based on a sound understanding of the meaning and scope of the provisions of the Paris Agreement, as specified in the "Rulebook" adopted in late 2018 at the 24th Conference of the Parties (COP24) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

In the interests of speedy, effective implementation of the Paris Agreement

In issuing the guide and providing technical support to its Member States, ECOWAS encourages countries not to delay adoption of the implementing rules of the Paris Agreement, which will become mandatory in 2024. Applying these common rules in advance means that a harmonized framework between those States can be created more quickly, in parallel with the first updating of their national commitments in 2020. 
 

The cycle of ambition of the Paris Agreement

This will result in an enhanced co-operation and mutual trust and a more accurate assessment of each country's needs and efforts to contribute to achieve the objectives of the Paris Agreement, in the light of its national circumstances. 

A guide to facilitate the operational implementation of the Paris Agreement in West Africa

This guide to implementation of the Paris agreement takes the perspective of developing countries as a whole. Its first concern, however, has been to support the Member States of ECOWAS and CILSS, taking account of both their specific needs and the initiatives some of them have launched which could inspire the other States in the sub-region. To do this, the guide offers concrete examples of ongoing or completed work undertaken by the Member States of ECOWAS and CILSS to comply with the provisions of the Paris Agreement. It also highlights examples of regional action capable of strengthening the implementation framework of the Paris Agreement and co-operative action in the region.

The document offers a technical reading of the Paris Agreement "Rulebook" and suggests a reframing of some of its provisions in less complex language and therefore more operational terms, while not departing from the rigour of the text of the treaty from a legal standpoint. The guide is built around information, guidance and action factsheets divided by theme: mitigation; adaptation; technology development and transfer; capacity-building; and transparency of action and support needed and received. Each factsheet includes a brief contextual note (definition and issues), answers from the Paris Agreement in response to the issue and a summary of the obligations and their scope (performance obligation, best efforts obligation, option), together with a reminder of the timetable for fulfilment, from the viewpoint of the Member States of ECOWAS and CILSS. Recommendations for implementation are also put forward to guide government action.
 

Download the Guide on the Paris Agreement

The GCCA+ West Africa project is the regional component of the Intra-ACP programme and aims to contribute to the West African regional effort for the implementation of the Paris Climate Agreement. To this end, it specifically focuses on building the capacities of West African regional institutions, but also on bringing about innovative field solutions to strengthen the climate resilience of agricultural and rural actors.

Find out more on the GCCA+ West Africa project