The Democratic Republic of the Congo and Egypt are hosting the pre-COP conference in Kinshasa, which is the last official multilateral chance for ministers to steer climate discussions before COP27 in November.
In order to establish the groundwork for a successful COP27 in Egypt that reinforces international climate pledges and builds on COP26, the COP President will represent the UK at the conference.
Additionally, he will stress the value of the Congo Basin rainforest as the planet’s most effective carbon sink and urge nations to keep their COP 26 commitments to stop and reverse forest loss and promote sustainable development.
Alok Sharma, the president of the COP, will proceed to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) for the pre-COP, which takes place from October 3–5. Pre-COP is the yearly gathering that serves as a precursor to the UN Conference of the Parties (COP).
The COP President will keep working with Ministers to provide the groundwork for effective discussions at COP27 and advancement on adaptation, mitigation, loss and damage, and funding before COP27 in Egypt.
The pre-COP this year is taking place in Kinshasa, marking the event’s first appearance in Africa in six years.
The Congo Basin forest, the second-largest tropical rainforest area in the world and a contributing factor to the fight against climate change, is located mostly in the DRC.
Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, US President Joe Biden, President Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and President Ali Bongo Ondimba of Gabon made an announcement at COP26 in Glasgow regarding a donation pledge from 12 donors totaling $1.5 billion for the forests of the Congo Basin over the years 2021 to 25.
Prior to its official reporting on the Promise at COP27, the COP President will provide an update on the status of the pledge while in Kinshasa.
This commitment will support local sustainable economic development requirements while preserving the forests, peatlands, and other essential global carbon reserves in the Congo Basin.
The Forests & Climate Leaders Partnership will be established at COP27 according to a recent invitation from the COP26 Presidency.
This new partnership will hasten the execution of the historic agreement reached at COP26 by more than 140 nations to prevent and reverse land degradation and forest loss while fostering inclusive rural transformation and sustainable development.
The Pre-COP will be the last occasion for ministers to get together before COP27.
Alok Sharma, the president of the COP, stated: “Discussions here in the DRC take on an increasingly greater urgency with little over a month till COP27.”
The emphasis must stay on action and execution as the effects of climate change worsen, advancing the goals that everyone in Glasgow agreed upon. And let’s be clear: our ambition must start with the Paris Agreement and the Glasgow Climate Pact.
The DRC, who are our hosts, are in charge of looking after the world’s second-largest forest. Forests act as the planet’s “lungs,” absorbing a third of the CO2 that fossil fuel combustion emits on a yearly basis.
With more than 140 leaders promising to stop and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030, COP26 lay the framework for more ambitious action. Delivering on these promises to conserve and restore forests must be a priority at COP27.