Hon. Dr. Kandeh Yumkella arrived in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, where leaders from around the world will assemble to find compromise and solutions fighting climate change which threatens the world’s wellbeing.

The focus this year is on “implementation and action”. Recent reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) have noted that the world’s population is not only at a crossroads but faces life-threatening heat and humidity.

At COP27, Yumkella will continue to advocate for Africa’s position – that richer polluting countries must pay to help poorer nations tackle climate change. Africa remains the region most affected by climate change even though it accounts for less than 2 percent of global emissions. He also believes that Africa should play a key role in innovation and technology deployment by capitalising on the continent’s resources for solar and wind power, and it’s abundant deposits of key minerals needed for batteries, smart-grids, and transmission interconnections.

As co-chair of the Strategy Group on Energy for the Africa -Europe Foundation, Hon. Yumkella will moderate a series of high-level sessions including with the European Commission, African Union, AfDB,, Africa and EU ministers, parliamentarians, NEPAD and the Africa Climate Foundation. He will also chair events with Climate Compatible Growth and the Modern Energy Cooking Systems – both from the University of Loughborough as well as Sustainable Energy for All.

Last week, Hon. Dr. Kandeh Yumkella joined a select group of parliamentarians from around the world who were meeting in Luxor, Egypt ahead of COP 27 to discuss the role of parliaments in scaling up action and holding their governments accountable for climate action. The Luxor Forum was convened by Climate Parliament, and the UN Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO). The delegation to the Luxor Parliamentary Forum included Hon Rebecca Yei Kamara, Hon Kekura Vandy and Hon Abdul Titus Kamara.