Civil Society Policy Brief: Incorporating the

JUNE - 2018

Paris Agreement Provisions in the East African

Community Climate Change Framework
1.0 ISSUE
The sustainable development and socioeconomic transformation
agendas of all the East African Community (EAC) Partner States
are presently anchored within their overarching perspective and
medium-term Comprehensive National Development Frameworks
– characterised by their respective National Visions1 , as well as their
corresponding National Development Plans or Strategies2 (EAC,
2018). However, the region is susceptible to recurrent hazards such
as droughts, floods, pests and diseases affecting agriculture and
threatening millions of people with hunger and starvation. These
hazards are not only a result of climate change but a phenomenon
in which more local human activities play an increasing role.

Climate change related factors rank highly as major threats

confronting the EAC region, though its CO2 emission estimates is
only 4.7 million tonnes per year by 2030 (EAC Vision 2050). These
factors include warmer weather, environmental degradation, food
insecurity in the wider region, and diseases outbreaks (EAC, 2018).

Therefore, the EAC needs to be part of the collective response

to this global challenge through practical and strategic actions,
including incorporating provisions of the Paris Agreement in its
Climate Change framework (Policy, Strategy and Master Plan – See
Box 1 below) and the EAC Climate Change Bill being proposed.

Box 1: The EAC Climate Change Framework

Three EAC documents which are distinct but complementary, focus on improving regional cooperation on climate change through a variety of policy
instruments, plans and strategies. These include a regional Climate Change Policy, Climate Change Strategy, and the Climate Change Master Plan.

The Climate Change Policy is a statement by the EAC secretariat expressing recognition of a climate change problem and stating its commitment to
address it through specified actions with adaptation as a top priority. The focus is on integrated, harmonised, multisectoral framework for responding
to climate change in the EAC region

The Climate Change Strategy establishes a range of measures giving the direction and scope of implementation, defining all the necessary actions
and resources needed to achieve its goal

The Climate Change Master Plan is a blueprint and comprehensive 20-year document that takes into a long-term view of the challenges, opportunities,
and priority actions to combat climate change. It provides the overall picture and vision for the region insofar as climate change response is concerned,
giving estimates of all the resources needed for the EAC to be climate-smart.
Source: Lake Victoria Basin Climate Change Adaptation Strategy and Action Plan (2018 – 2023)

Specifically, the 5th Sectoral Council of Environment and Natural
Resources adopted the Lake Victoria Climate Change Adaptation
Strategy and Action Plan (2018 – 2023)3 in February 2018. In
addition, the EAC Roadmap to implement the Paris Agreement in
East Africa4 was adopted (MEACA - Uganda, 2018).
This Policy brief represents viewpoints from members and Partner
Organisations of SusWatch Kenya (Kenya), TaTEDO (Tanzania) and
Uganda Coalition for Sustainable Development (Uganda) on the
EAC Roadmap to implement the Paris Agreement, and the review
process for the EAC Climate Framework.
can undermine efforts towards gender equality (SDG 5). Conversely,
unsustainable agricultural practices and food waste accelerate
climate change.
The Paris Agreement set the goal to hold the increase in the global
average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels
and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C
above pre-industrial levels (UNFCCC, 2015). It is this goal that the
international community has committed to, in order to address
climate change through the Nationally Determined Contributions
(NDCs).

1.1 EAC Road map to implement the Paris But the current NDCs at the global level, are likely to realize only
Agreement one-third of the emission reductions required by 2030 to reach
the long-term goal of the Paris Agreement (UNEP ‘The Emissions
In East Africa, climate change could derail efforts towards achieving Gap’ Report 2017). In addition, East Africa needs to prepare for
the Sustainable Development Goals including poverty reduction. the upcoming review of progress on the broad and multifaceted
For example, climate change is likely to disrupt food security (SDG2) Paris Agreement’s global goal on adaptation to be done in context
and water availability (SDG 6). As women bear a disproportionate of the global stocktake that will take place every five years starting
burden in regard to the provision of food and water, climate change
1
Kenya’s Vision 2030: http://vision2030.go.ke/ | Uganda’s Vision 2040: http://npa.ug/wp-content/themes/npatheme/documents/vision2040.pdf | Tanzania’s Vision 2025: http://www.mof.go.tz/mofdocs/overarch/
Vision2025.pdf 2Tanzania’s National five year development plan (2016/17 – 2020/21) | Uganda National Development Plan II (NDPII) 2015/16 – 2019/20: http://npa.ug/wp-content/uploads/NDPII-Final.pdf
 Civil Society Policy Brief: Incorporating the Paris Agreement Provisions in the East African Community Climate Change Framework

2023 (UNEP, ‘The Adaptation Gap’ Report 2017). Therefore, the Operationalizing and capitalization of the EAC
forthcoming review process should ensure raised ambition of the Climate Change Fund established in 2010 through
East African Community Partners’ NDCs pioneering the accreditation of EAC under the Adaptation
(see Box 2 below) Fund (AF) and the Green Climate Fund (GCF)
as a UNFCCC Regional Implementing Entities (RIE);
The East African Community has adopted a Roadmap that aims at Support Partner States to develop capacities for
translating the Paris Agreement in terms of concrete steps to be accreditation of their NIE; Support Partner States to
taken by the EAC Partner States to implement key resolutions of this develop credible projects that may attract climate change
Agreement relevant to them (MEACA Uganda, 2018). funds
e) Promoting the continental climate resilient and low
Through nine major activities (below), the Roadmap elaborates carbon development initiatives such as the Climate
how to approach implementation of the NDCs, translating what the Smart Agriculture
Paris Agreement means in terms of concrete next steps for the EAC f) Promoting the African Adaptation and Loss and Damage
Partner States and offering advice on how countries might take this Initiative that was launched during the COP21/CMP11 by
work forward from 2016 to 2021: the AUC
g) Promote Renewable Energy Initiatives such as African
a) Identify from the Resolutions of the Paris Agreement Renewable Energy Initiative (AREI), which was launched
those, which are more relevant to the EAC Partner during the COP21/CMP11 by the African Union
States by bringing out the challenges and opportunities. Commission
b) Assist Policy Makers in Partner States dealing with h) Preparations for the international/global climate change
National Climate Change Policy in internalizing the Paris events such as COP22/CMP12; Capacity building for
Agreement for their countries and come up with country Partner States climate change negotiators
specific implementation framework. i) Participate in the international/global climate change
c) Identify common actions across NDCs and develop events including COPs and disseminate outcomes to
NDC Implementation Plans. relevant EAC Organs and stakeholders in Partner
d) Review the EAC’s existing Regional Climate Change Policy States; Coordinate effective participation of EAC at
(2011), Climate Change Strategy (2011/12-2015/16 and international/global climate change events including
Climate Change Master Plan (2013- COPs
2033) to mainstream the Paris Agreement;
Box 2: Need to raise the ambition of East Africa’s NDCs
NDCs of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania are inclined towards large scale projects in energy, agriculture, forestry, waste management and infrastructure
such as up scaling the geothermal project in Kenya for energy production, while less attention is given towards the small scale projects that are being
implemented by the local communities and which contribute towards greenhouse reduction emissions such as energy saving cook stoves and small
scale biogas plants.

In having small scale projects implemented by the local communities which contribute towards greenhouse gas emission reduction, CSOs working
under SusWatch Kenya, TaTEDO and UCSD believe that there will be a dual objective of also contributing to poverty reduction in East Africa since
a majority of the population still live in rural settings where majority of the poor heavily rely on biomass energy. This will be a practical step for East
Africa to permanently tip the scale towards faster action and stronger ambition in their NDCs and also boost development. In this way the NDCs can
better contribute to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius and also reduce poverty.

The East African Community has adopted a Roadmap that aims at of EAC under the Adaptation Fund (AF) and the Green
translating the Paris Agreement in terms of concrete steps to be Climate Fund (GCF) as a UNFCCC Regional Implementing
taken by the EAC Partner States to implement key resolutions of this Entities (RIE); Support Partner States to develop
Agreement relevant to them (MEACA Uganda, 2018). capacities for accreditation of their NIE; Support Partner
States to develop credible projects that may attract
Through nine major activities (below), the Roadmap elaborates climate change funds
how to approach implementation of the NDCs, translating what the e) Promoting the continental climate resilient and low
Paris Agreement means in terms of concrete next steps for the EAC carbon development initiatives such as the Climate
Partner States and offering advice on how countries might take this Smart Agriculture
work forward from 2016 to 2021: f) Promoting the African Adaptation and Loss and Damage
Initiative that was launched during the COP21/CMP11 by
a) Identify from the Resolutions of the Paris Agreement the AUC
those, which are more relevant to the EAC Partner States g) Promote Renewable Energy Initiatives such as African
by bringing out the challenges and opportunities. Renewable Energy Initiative (AREI), which was launched
b) Assist Policy Makers in Partner States dealing with during the COP21/CMP11 by the African Union
National Climate Change Policy in internalizing the Commission
Paris Agreement for their countries and come up h) Preparations for the international/global climate change
with country specific implementation framework. events such as COP22/CMP12; Capacity building for
c) Identify common actions across NDCs and develop Partner States climate change negotiators
NDC Implementation Plans. i) Participate in the international/global climate change
d) Review the EAC’s existing Regional Climate Change events including COPs and disseminate outcomes to
Policy (2011), Climate Change Strategy (2011/12- relevant EAC Organs and stakeholders in Partner States;
2015/16) and Climate Change Master Plan (2013-2033) Coordinate effective participation of EAC at international/
to mainstream the Paris Agreement; Operationalizing global climate change events including COPs
and capitalization of the EAC Climate Change Fund
established in 2010 through pioneering the accreditation

https://www.climatelinks.org/resources/lake-victoria-basin-climate-change-adaptation-strategy-and-action-plan-2018-2023,
3

https://www.eac.int/press-releases/620-1086-387-eac-develops-road-map-for-implementation-of-paris-agreement-resolution-on-climate-change
4
 Civil Society Policy Brief:
2.0 Policy recommendations
Partner CSOs and members of SusWatch Kenya, TaTEDO and
UCSD have put together the following recommendations in order
to secure a regional policy, strategy and master plan that works to
‘Create momentum for bottom up climate action in East Africa’ in
line with the bottom-up structure of the Paris Agreement, where
action is not conditional upon international rules.
In this regard, the following recommendations are presented on
aspects of the EAC roadmap and the EAC climate change policy
framework (under review), including the proposed EAC Climate
Change Bill.
A. Aspects for the EAC Roadmap
1. Pursuant to Article 127 of the EAC Treaty, the EAC To that extent, the Paris Agreement is an important but only first
Roadmap should explicitly promote civil society and private sector
participation in implementation of the 9 major activities, beyond
the narrow view of their role being that of Resource mobilization;
promoting climate resilient and low carbon development initiatives;
capacity building for negotiators and awareness creation.
For example, people representing businesses, investors, cities,
regions, civil society and others need to step out to have their
voices to be heard as part of the on-going Talanoa Dialogue5
process ahead of the UNFCCC Conferences of Parties in Katowice
(December 2018, as an initial step for developing countries to fulfil
their promise to support implementation of the NDCs in East Africa,
as well as to raise their ambition before 2020.
2. The EAC Climate Change Coordination Unit (CCCU) under
the EAC secretariat (and similar units expected to be established in
all Partner states and the Lake Victoria Basin Commission) should
be strengthened to include an elaborate long-term programme
to fully facilitate stakeholder engagement of the EAC region in the
planned implementation of the common actions across NDCs and
NDC Implementation Plans. This is in line with a people-centred and
private Sector-driven integration of the EAC.
3. Develop monitoring and evaluation mechanisms for
tracking the level of implementation of the EAC Climate Change
Policy and strategy to ensure that they are effective and also
provide information for informed decision making on the necessary
corrective actions. In this regard the EAC Roadmap needs to clearly
flag out and develop elaborate plans to contribute to the Global
Stocktake that will take place every five years from 2023 onwards,
to assess collective progress towards achieving the purpose of the
Paris Agreement and its long-term goals. The 2018 Talanoa Dialogue
that has had its first session in May 2018 in Bonn, is expected
to provide an opportunity for EAC Partner States to reflect on
collective progress already made and opportunities to take further
action prior to submitting new or enhanced NDCs by 2020.
Aspects for the EAC Climate Change Framework
(Policy, Strategy and Master Plan) Including the
proposed EAC Climate Change Bill.
The NDCs of East Africa Countries stress that adaptation in the
agricultural sector is a national priority, and put forward their strong
commitment towards mainstreaming adaptation into sectorial,
national and regional development planning processes. Similarly,
the EAC Climate change Policy (2011) identifies adaptation as the
main priority of the region, while mitigation is secondary (UCSD et
al, 2013).
The Paris Agreement creates a global goal on adaptation that
had been absent from previous UNFCCC agreements, aiming to
enhance ‘adaptive capacity, strengthening resilience and reducing
vulnerability to climate change’ (Art. 7.1).
5
The Fijian presidency introduced a new platform called the Talanoa Dialogue, which enables engagement with the big picture questions surrounding climate change. The aim of the dialogue is to encourage
countries to enhance the ambition of their NDCs, seeing that collective mitigation pledges still fall short of meeting the Paris Agreement goal of keeping average global temperatures below 2 degrees Celsius.
More: https://talanoadialogue.com/
Incorporating the Paris Agreement Provisions in the East African Community Climate Change Framework
The Agreement determines that countries should put more
emphasis on adaptation planning, and based on this planning
Parties should strengthen their cooperation, including through the
transfer of funds (Art. 7). The adequacy of action and support will
be reviewed as part of the global stocktake.
But adaptation action should follow a country-driven, gender-
responsive, participatory and transparent approach that takes
into account the interests of vulnerable groups, communities
and ecosystems. In this regard, the revised EAC climate change
framework should:
1. Incorporate the NDCs (and transparent tracking of their
progress), as part of the objectives under the EAC climate change
framework, noting that overall, the initially communicated NDCs fall
short of the required ambition and therefore a missed opportunity.
step towards an effective policy response, creating a framework
which individual EAC Partner States will individually or jointly
translate into concrete action.
2. Through the EAC’s Climate Change Technical Working
Group (CCTWG), review the current engagement mechanisms and
processes in order to institutionalise wider stakeholder involvement
to include vulnerable groups, communities like pastoralists, fishers,
urban poor people, mountain-based communities, farmers,
women, youths, disabled persons, among others. Institutionalised
consultations with the diverse groups should enable input into the
periodic adaptation communication on adaptation priorities, needs,
plans and actions at national level while informing EAC interventions
at the regional level. in line with the bottom-up structure of the
Paris Agreement, where action is not conditional upon international
rules, adaptation support (from the Green Climate Fund, Adaptation
Fund and others facilities) will also be better defined in a timely
fashion, and targeted to hotspot areas / vulnerable sectors.
3. Through EAC’s Climate Change Technical Working Group,
develop multi-disciplinary and cross-sectoral coordination structures
and approaches for climate change action for transboundary
ecosystems at regional level that provide mechanism for the active
participation and collaboration of various stakeholders and actors.
The Lake Victoria Basin Climate Change Adaptation Strategy and
Action Plan (2018 – 2023) is a step in the right direction that can
inform action for other transboundary resources which are the
primary domain of the EAC institutions (as they are incoherently
attended to by Partner States) as provided for in Cap. 19 of the EAC
Treaty on Environment and Natural Resources (Articles 111, 112
and114).
4. As provided for in the Paris Agreement (Art.4.19), also
embrace the call on all Parties including LDCs and SIDS to strive to
formulate and communicate Low Emission Development Strategies
(LEDS) to be submitted not later than 2020. This could take the
shape of common low emission development pathway for the EAC
as a region that builds on what individual countries have in place
(for example the Green Growth Development Strategies for Kenya
and Uganda, and the Low Emission Development Strategies for
Tanzania (available in draft), among others.
5. Fully incorporate gender equality and women’s
empowerment in all regional climate change discourse and actions
as per the Gender Action Plan from the Paris Agreement, taking into
account existing gender-related aspects. This includes:
a) Increasing knowledge and capacities of women and men
through workshops and information exchanges, so that
they can systematically integrate gender considerations
in all areas of their work, to pursuing the full, equal and
meaningful participation of women in national delegations;
 Civil Society Policy Brief: Incorporating the Paris Agreement Provisions in the East African Community Climate Change Framework
b) Increasing integration of the gender considerations—
such as addressing women’s specific vulnerability to
natural disasters as well as understanding women’s role in
agriculture and food production, and supporting women
entrepreneurs in the energy sector—into the areas of
work of all Parties to the UNFCCC;
c) Increasing climate-related financial resources that
integrate gender priorities and reflect the needs of women
and girls; improve tracking of the implementation of the
gender-related decisions. Take into account the means of
implementation as provided for in the Paris Agreement
in terms of provision of finance, technology and capacity
building support, as foreseen by the Paris Agreement,
and accordingly develop resource mobilization strategies.
For example, while the financial architecture of the Paris
Agreement is evolving (still lack a concrete, time-bound
commitment), projections suggest that roughly one third
of the USD 100bn commitment would originate from
three sources; bilateral public finance, multilateral public
finance, and private finance (Act Alliance, 2018). However,
when accessing it, climate finance should meet some
(climate justice) criteria as in Box 3 below
Source: ACT Alliance, 2018
Box 3: Key criteria for justice in climate finance:
• Predictability, transparency and clarity on the additionality and
source of funds
• Equal shares for mitigation and adaptation including funds for
addressing loss and damage
• Adaptation financing must be grant-based
• Country driven projects and direct access for applicants from
developing countries (instead of channelling funds from for
instance the Green Climate Fund through multilateral development
banks and international organizations)
• Preferential access for poor countries with limited capacity
7. In addition to the Goal, Mission and Vision, develop
a set of operational principles, which will guide duty bearers
(implementers, planners, decision-makers and negotiators) to
execute their respective duties. These principles should also inform
the proposed EAC Climate Change Bill.
These principles should therefore reflect what East Africa ideally
stands for, in spite of uncertain global discourses and shifting power
relations. We suggest that these principles take their point of
departure from the EAC Treaty (Art.7) as a foundation, for example
people-centeredness, extent of being pro-poor so as to focus on
the majority of the population, reflection of gender equality and
women’s empowerment, level stakeholder engagement – including
vulnerable groups, etc.
This Policy Brief has been prepared as part of the Project: Promoting
Implementation of the Paris Agreement (PIPA) in East Africa - with
a pro-poor focus involving INFORSE Network, Sustainable Energy,
TaTEDO and SusWatch Kenya supported by CISU (Denmark).
Through the PIPA, the above Partners are contributing to
strengthening the pro-poor focus and climate change ambitions in
the implementation of the Paris Agreement in East Africa. This is
being done through assessing implementation (readiness) of the
NDCs. This is the principal cornerstone of the Paris Agreement.
More about the Project: http://www.inforse.org/africa/East_
Africa_PIPA.htm
Views expressed do not necessarily represent
those of the project funder.
8. Set in a mechanism to integrate the climate change actions
in all planned region-wide micro – to mega investments, projects and
programmes, rather than the climate policy being implemented on
its own. In other words, all interventions must be assessed against
a climate sensitivity criteria (for example adaptation, resilience
building etc.). This could be in the EAC’s updated NDCs and Low
Emission Development Strategies, once they are in place.
3.0 References cited
i. ACT Alliance (2018). Towards the Ambitious Implementation
of the Paris Agreement: A Toolkit for National Level
Advocacy
ii. EAC (2016). EAC Roadmap for implementation of key
resolutions of COP21 / CMP11 – Paris Agreement.
iii. EAC (2017). The Lake Victoria Basin Climate Change
Adaptation Strategy & Action Plan (2018 – 2023)
iv. EAC (May 2017). Presentation of the budget of the EAC for
the financial year 2017/2018 to the East African Legislative
Assembly by Rt. Hon. Dr. Ali Kirunda Kivenjija, Second
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of EAC, Republic of
Uganda, and Chairperson of the council of Ministers of the
EAC
v. FAO (2017) Regional analysis of the Nationally Determined
Contributions of Eastern Africa. Gaps and opportunities in
the agriculture sectors http://www.fao.org/3/a-i8079e.pdf
accessed March 23, 2018
vi. INFORSE (2017). Proposing Stronger NDCs, LEDS & Paris
Rulebook for Poverty
vii. MEACA Uganda (2018). Presentation to PIPA regional
Workshop in Kampala (March 2018)
viii. Paris Agreement - Status of Ratification: http://unfccc.int/
paris_agreement/items/9444.php accessed on March 13,
2018
ix. Reduction and Local Village Development. UNFCCC COP23
side event presentations: http://www.inforse.org/africa/
East_Africa_PIPA.htm accessed March 15, 2018
x. The 5th EAC Development Strategy
xi. The East African Climate Change Master Plan
xii. The East African Climate Change Strategy
xiii. The East African Community Climate Change Policy (2011)
xiv. UNFCCC (2017). Decision -/CP.23. Establishment of a
gender action plan: https://unfccc.int/files/meetings/
bonn_nov_2017/application/pdf/cp23_auv_gender.pdf
accessed March 21, 2018
CONTACTS
TATEDO - Centre for Sustainable Energy Services E-mail: ugandacoalition@infocom.co.ug,
P. O. Box 32794, Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania Web: www.ugandacoalition.or.org,
TEL: +255-738-201498 Twitter: @ugandacoalition
Email:energy@tatedo.org
Sustainable Energy
Suswatch, Kenya Klosterport. 4E, 1.SAL,
P. O. Box 1207-00100 Nairobi, Kenya DK-8000, Aarhus C
Tel: +256 20-2584757 TEL: +45-86-760444
EMAIL: suswatchkenya@suswatchkenya.org
International Network for Sustainable
Uganda Coalition for Sustainable Development Energy (INFORSE)
(UCSD), KLOSTERPORT. 4e,
P.O. Box 27551 Kampala. 1.sal.DK-8000, Arhus C
Tel: +256414269461, Email: ove@inforse.org