Climate Focus has been a steering committee member and technical partner of the West African Alliance on Carbon Markets and Climate Finance since its inception. In 2017, 16 West African countries created the Alliance to promote sub-regional cooperation and build institutional capacity for long-term engagement with international carbon markets and climate finance under the framework of the Paris Agreement (PA).
To achieve this vision, the Alliance:
1. Fosters active participation by West African delegates in the UNFCCC negotiations on market mechanisms, transparency and climate finance, thus ensuring that African priorities are reflected in the design of the new carbon market approaches under Article 6 of the PA;
2. Enhances in-country readiness for Article 6 implementation through the facilitation of capacity-building activities and the provision of hands-on advice on how to integrate Article 6 into national policy frameworks;
3. Supports the inception of mitigation activities in West Africa, including Article 6 pilot experiences, by creating a platform for member countries to connect with strategic partners of the Alliance, namely country governments, international financiers and technical experts.
Together with the West African Development Bank (BOAD), the UNFCCC Regional Collaboration Center Lomé (RCC Lomé) and the Dakar-based NGO ENDA Energie, Climate Focus assists the operationalization and technical implementation of the Alliance.
The Alliance is supported by the International Climate Initiative (IKI) of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU).
