Africa must be allowed to enhance free flow of trade policy to tackle climate change

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NAIROBI, Kenya - The World Trade Organization [WTO] Director-General, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has urged the global community to allow African states to enhance ‘Free Flow of Trade ‘ as a way of helping the continent tackle climate change that has impacted negatively on its economy.

"We cannot really talk about adaptation without considering that you need a free flow of trade. Because you might have the finances but if trade policies are not right, those who need new technologies for adaptation - if there is no free flow of goods and ideas - may not be able to use the money to get at it" adds Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

She was speaking at the Africa Adaptation Summit in Rotterdam-Netherlands where the African heads of state and leaders criticized the lack of Western counterparts at the meeting, where they pleaded for funds to help their countries adapt to global warming.

Ngozi alluded that "The role of the WTO is to make sure that once countries have this financing they are not blocked by adverse trade policies that will keep them from having access to the goods and services they need to adapt."

The summit was meant to focus on helping Africa adapt to the fallout from climate change, bringing together the African Union, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the Netherlands-based Global Center on Adaptation.

"We just need countries to be very active in actually implementing what they are saying and of course, the absence of the leaders here sends some signals - you have several leaders who came all the way from Africa to participate in this conference, and they were looking forward to seeing leaders from Europe and elsewhere.’ Comments Ngozi.

The Rotterdam summit comes against the backdrop of the outcome of the African Climate Week forum that took place in Gabon.

During the Gabon forum, African nations agreed on a common push to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius -- a goal that scientists fear is increasingly elusive at upcoming UN climate talks.

GAROWE ONLINE

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