Three not-for-government organisations are involved in a project aimed at improving the communication, lobbying and advocacy competencies of climate Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), ahead of the COP28.
The three organisations are the Centre for 21st Century Issues, EnviroNews Development Network and Society for Planet and Prosperity.
The project sponsored by the British High Commission (BHC) seeks to strengthen some CSOs engagement with climate policy.
This is contained in a joint statement by the CSOs on Saturday in Lagos.
The statement noted that the COP28, the 28th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), holds in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), from November 30 to December 12, 2023.
According to the statement, the BHC sponsored project is also aimed at developing a harmonized engagement approach for CSOs to engage with government and COPs processes.
It said that the project would ensure that there is strong synergy between the CSOs, government and other relevant stakeholders at COP28 to ensure Nigeria gets the best outcomes that would protect its people from the devastating effects of climate change.
“The project plans to conduct a scoping study on Nigeria’s CSOs and other CSOs participation and role in climate change negotiations and UNFCCC processes at COPs in the past two years.
“The study will identify gaps and issues that need to be addressed in ensuring effective CSOs engagement with climate change processes at national and global policy levels towards COP28.
“The findings of the scoping study will be used to design capacity building initiatives, communication plan and, facilitate multi stakeholders’ dialogues with relevant government climate and related institutions to foster joint advocacy and networking in influencing climate negotiations on the road to COP28 and beyond.
“The project will prioritise effective communications of climate issues among CSOs,” said the statement.
It stressed that the virtual capacity building and knowledge sharing sessions, which commenced on Nov. 10 were designed to navigate the various negotiating streams at the UNFCCC, explore the different negotiations interest, and crystalize Nigeria’s interest within the African climate change position.
The statement quoted Titilope Akosa, Executive Director of C21st, as saying that the training would equip climate focused CSOs in Nigeria with the knowledge and skills necessary to navigate the complexities of the UNFCCC negotiations.
“By participating in an informed manner, CSOs can effectively contribute to global climate policy discussions.
“Armed with knowledge, Nigerian CSOs will be better equipped to advocate for their priorities, influence policy outcomes, expand their network and drive meaningful change,” Akosa said.
The statement added that communications plan that prioritized campaigns on critical points of negotiations for Nigeria at COP28 such as adaptation and mitigation priorities, loss and damage, climate finance and global stock take would be articulated and implemented.
It explained that the dissemination of relevant information among CSOs, government officials and the public before, during and after COP28 would be pursued by the project.
The statement said the project would link participants to ongoing processes such as the Technical committee on Loss and Damage, Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change, African Group of Negotiators and the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment, among others.
“Gender is a key component of the project, and a key output is dedicated to gender awareness project implementation and activities.
“Gender will be mainstreamed throughout the project implementation,” the statement said.
