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Ahead of COP27 : UN calls for a whole-of-society approach on Climate Action

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Sallu Kamuskay
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Ahead of COP27 to be held in Egypt in November 2022, UN Resident Coordinator (RC) Mr Babatunde Ahonsi, on behalf of the UN System in Sierra Leone, today called for a ‘whole-of-society approach’ if progress is to be made on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG13 – Climate Action.

In his remarks at the event UN Sierra Leone co-hosted with the British High Commission and the European Union, the RC said that in addition to the government, civil society, the private sector, community leaders, educational institutions, and international partners all have a role to play.

Mr Ahonsi said, “climate change affects every country on every continent and does not respect national borders”, indicating that international cooperation, whether in the form of scientific research, new technology, or climate finance, is very important.

According to the RC, consistent with the ‘whole-of-society’ approach is the notion that the Government’s climate action must extend beyond the Ministry of Environment to include a range of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies.

He emphasised the impact of climate on other sectors — Agriculture and Food Security, Disaster Preparedness and Response, and Public Health. The RC further noted that “it is vital that climate is integrated into all sector strategies and national development plans.”

The RC referenced the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, whom he said at the closing of COP26 in Glasgow, called on the global community to make good on the $100 billion-dollar climate finance commitment to support developing countries.

He concluded by acknowledging that while climate change poses major challenges for Sierra Leone, there are also tremendous opportunities. “The emphasis on expanding global climate finance going into COP27 presents an opportunity for countries such as Sierra Leone to turn their adaptation priorities into investment plans and build a pipeline of projects,” he said.

Earlier, British High Commissioner to Sierra Leone, Ms Lisa Chesney, said that Climate Change continues to be a priority for the UK as they hand over the COP26 presidency to Egypt for COP27 – being referred to as ‘Africa’s COP’. She said this was important for Sierra Leone, as it takes ownership of its ambitious mitigation and adaptation plans.

Mr Gerald Hatler, Head of Cooperation, EU Delegation, said it was very important to scale up climate interventions in Sierra Leone and that the Government needs to prioritize climate and environment interventions within the Nationally Determined Contributions.

“In order to reduce and reverse environmental degradation, the use of the natural resources of Sierra Leone, be for timber, agriculture, mining and fishery activities, should be carried out in a transparent, well-regulated and sustainable way,” Mr Hatler said.

Minister of Planning and Economic Development Dr Francis M Kai-Kai, in his remarks, stressed the Government’s commitment to the global call for action to address the threats of climate change. “Sectors such as agriculture and food production sector, fisheries and the coastal sector, the natural resources including forestry sector, infrastructure (water Resources, energy) sector, public health sector, etc. are all vulnerable, with worrying implications for the stability of our economy,” the Minister said.

According to him, Sierra Leone’s experience with landslides and floods in the last five to six years is an indication that climate stress is never far away. He emphasized the need to build resilience through better livelihood practices.

Minister Kai-Kai mentioned the Government’s reforms in the last four years in response to climate challenges. He stressed that Sierra Leone’s Medium-Term National Development Plan (2019-2023) provides a broader framework for addressing climate change issues in the country, as contained in the Cluster Seven of the National Development Plan.

In his remarks, Minister of Environment Professor Foday Jaward called for swift action on Climate Change as it affects every sector of the country. Sadly, according to the Minister, “these impacts continue to affect our environment, agriculture, food security and even the lives and livelihoods of large communities.”

Professor Jaward said that policy decisions in the country are often swayed by either a backlash from voters, the prioritizing of short-term economic gains over long-term environmental sustainability, or bottlenecks in accessing finance. “Now is the time to change that direction and act,” he said.

Sessions followed by interactive discussions were held on the following topics: Stocktake—Sierra Leone’s experience; Scaling up: Forward thinking, and Opportunities with Multilateral Climate Funds.

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Sallu Kamuskay is a Sierra Leonean communication strategist, fixer, blogger, youth organiser, event manager, spokesperson, and public relations expert. His work has been regularly referenced and published by national and international media and public policy institutions. Sallu Kamuskay was a child during the brutal war in Sierra Leone. Growing up in the midst of conflict, Sallu witnessed unimaginable abuse of children and gross violations of human rights. The horrors he witnessed during the Civil War had a terrible impact on him at a very tender age. But despite the shock of the war, Sallu never lost hope. He started on a journey of recovery, studying, and working for a better future. At age 15, Sallu entered into the world of activism and advocacy. Sallu Kamuskay was the Vice President of the Young Leaders Organisation, a member of the National Youth Council. The Young Leaders is one of the oldest youth-led organisations in West Africa. The organisation was formed by a group of young leaders, and launched by the then Head of State/President of Sierra Leone. Sallu was part of the group of young leaders who participated in and contributed to the establishment of the National Youth Council. The Commonwealth supported the training for trainers programme with line ministries and youth stakeholders in which key, representatives of youth council, student union and civil society/private sector youth platforms were engaged and empowered in the effective engagement and inclusion of youth. Sallu is co-founder and Executive Director of the Salone Messenger, a global multimedia and public relations firm based In Sierra Leone. Sallu has worked on various developmental and policy issues such as Poverty, Climate Change, Human rights, Child Rights, Education, Health, Gender Equality, Civic Engagement, Government policies, Information Communication Technology for Development and the Sustainable Development Goals, and has also been contributing to various global events and advocacy campaigns. Sallu Kamuskay is the co-founder and Executive Director of the Salone Messenger, a global Multimedia and Public Relations Firm based in Sierra Leone with the latest news and information, on top stories, business, politics, entertainment, and more. Sallu is working with a leading technology company in Africa, Techfrica, that has recently developed and launched a social media, messaging Supfrica with over 150,000 downloads on the Google play store in less than 4 days. He is the Adviser and Media coordinator for the App to give people the platform to connect and communicate to help shape their future with a very fast internet that allows users that live in deprived and hard-to-reach areas with poor internet facility to be able to communicate as it allows and stronger on 2 and 3 G network reception. Sallu has over 9 years of experience in youth engagement, inclusion, and coordination both at local and global levels, giving voice to young people and engaging young people to build a better world. He has served as coordinator for the Wave Alliance which brought together youth-led organisations who attended an international training in South Africa organized by the International Organization – Waves for Change. Sallu is working with the MLT, Waves For Change, and the Government to develop safe spaces for young people, with a view to contributing to the overall development goals of young people including health, as well as to community rebuilding. Sallu is currently the Programme Director for the Wave Alliance, which is a coalition of youth-led and community-based organisations that have successfully introduced evidence-based Surf Therapy programs to young people in communities, with a focus on mental health, peace building and sustainable development. Sallu is currently the focal point and face of Africa’s Faces Social media platform which is a global Social media platform that brings together people from across the world to share their moments, connect, share videos, and interact with friends giving more preference to excluded continents like Africa. Sallu Kamuskay has devoted his time to working for or contributing to a number of national and international organizations and companies, including the Techfrica Technology Company, United Nations, ECOWAS, European Union, Commonwealth Africa Initiatives. This work has led him to travel to a number of countries to contribute to global youth platforms. Sallu is the lead Coordinator for Peace Tour programme, an initiative supported by the European Union, Africa Union, ECOWAS focusing on uniting and empowering young people and local communities. Over the years, Sallu Kamuskay has been using his Techno phone to be able to tell stories, the phone he used to tell the story of Gbessay during Ebola who was admitted at one of the Ebola treatment centers after rumors that she had Ebola when the actual sickness was ulcer, she was almost abandoned at the treatment canter with no medication provided to her. She could have died. Sallu told the story via social media and was able to secure funding from the United Sierra Leone to buy her medication and advocated for her. She was later discharged and taken home, He did the same to a patient that died and was abandoned in the street, Sallu Kamuskay used his phone and shared the message across, the corps was later taken and buried. It could have been more disaster without his voice. The story of late America Stress 3-year-old daughter. The hero’s daughter was abandon after his father's death. He shared her sad story and was able to get a sister who has taken the child as her own and is currently providing her with educational support. The article of America Stress can be read on the link below http://ayvnewspaper.com/index.php/k2-categories/item/7350-america-stress-a-hero-to-recognize. Sallu Kamuskay feels the stories of Gbessay, America stress and that of many others need to be told. The media house we have cannot better tell these stories, they are better reporters than telling human interest stories. He created the Salone Messenger platform and brought together passionate storytellers to be able to tell these compelling stories.