Nairobi, Kenya; March 28, 2024 .Pan Africa Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA), its allies and partners, representing the active agency of Non State Actors from across Africa are disturbed by the decision of the Advisory Board of the Santiago Network on Loss and Damage (SNLD) which held its first meeting from 18 to 20 March 2024, in Geneva and selected Geneva, Switzerland, as the host of the secretariat of the SNLD.
According to them, Such a decision is an epitome of global injustice and the power weilding tactics of the global north to control all the decision making processes for responding to climate change globally.
The Advisory Board meeting in Switzerland, and whose main agenda was to consider the technical report by the UNOPS-UNDRR on the cost-effectiveness, including a cost–benefit analysis of various locations around the world as options for the location of the head office of the Secretariat from a pool of potential locations tactfully veered off from the task and conveniently avoided the recommendations of UNOPS-UNDRR report.
In their assessment process, UNOPS-UNDRR strongly recommended Nairobi as the optimal location to host the Network based on their thorough analysis using scientifically-proven methodologies from a shorlist of various other locations such as Addis Ababa, Bonn and Geneva .They claim the analysis from UNOPs-UNDRR to the Advisory Board was blatantly and contemptuously ignored and the Board selected Geneva, which was ranked third in the analysis. The board in its analysis turned a blind eye on what the network is meant to deliver, further concentrating institutions of climate governance, particulraly on loss and damage in the North.
This decision by the Board demonstrates the sustained conspiracy by developed countries to keep climate response measures remote to African and other developing nations who ought to be at the centre of the capacity strengthening support of the SNLD.
The Non State Actors are Aggrieved that the hosting right for a Platform which embodies the struggles of the Communities at the frontline of climate crisis, and whose location should symbolise the very Palpable rationale of tackling Loss and Damage has once again been unjustly snatched from a deserving developing country through a clandestinely nefarious process of manipulation, carrotdangling and intimindation.
In pursuit of justice, greater transparency and accountability to the developing nations, they call for Overwhelming condemnation, in the strongest possible manner, the apparent subversion Of the laid-down procedures by the Advisory Board, and call upon appointing authorities especially those from Africa and other developing countries, to investigate the possibility Of collusion, carrot-dangling and manipulation by industrialised countries.
In order to regain the lost glory, the Advisory Board should, with immediate effect, reverse their ill-intentioned decision and adopt the recommendations from UNOPSUNDRR by unanimously picking Nairobi as the host of the SNLD
In addition, they continued to urge the advisory Board to foster the principles of climate justice, CBDRC, human rights including children rights, and gender equality, in addressing Loss and Damage and further demonstrate Goodfaith by swiftly putting together Strutures that will ensure countries and communities facing losses and damages are reached soonest possible, and have requisite local governance structures for response.
The mandate of the Santiago network is to catalyze the technical assistance of relevant Organizations, bodies, networks and experts for the implementation of relevant approaches for averting, minimize and addressing Loss and Damage at the local, national and regional level, in developing countries that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change
