A capacity building and preparation workshop of advocacy plans on climate governance was launched on Wednesday January 22, 2024 in Saint-Louis on Wednesday, at the initiative of the “Active citizens for social justice” network (CAJUST). This event, planned for two days, aims to raise awareness and provide the actors of the Civil Society of Saint-Louis with the tools necessary to carry out actions to advocate in favor of fairer, transparent and inclusive climate governance.
Workshop objectives: awareness and preparation for climatic advocacy
The workshop is structured around presentations and discussions led by experts in the field of climate governance. Group work has also been organized to allow participants to actively work on the creation of their own advocacy plan concerning climatic issues. The objective is to give the communities of Saint-Louis the skills necessary to defend their rights to the impacts of climate change.
“This workshop aims to raise awareness among Saint-Louis communities and provide them with the capacities necessary to develop a plea plan in response to the impacts of climate change,” said Ibrahima Mbacké, project manager within CAJUST.
Climatic impacts well present in Saint-Louis
During the opening ceremony, held at the Saint-Louis Departmental Council, Ibrahima Mbacké stressed that the region is particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. He mentioned phenomena such as coastal erosion, the situation of climatic displaced, as well as the advance of the sea, which represents a direct threat to local populations. “Saint-Louis really undergoes the impacts of climate change. It is essential to strengthen the awareness and training of inhabitants to help them better understand these phenomena and prepare to face it, “he added.
CAJUST is made up of this training activities to help local populations better understand climate change and use governance tools to offer suitable solutions.
-The commitment of the municipality and local actors
Aïda Mbaye Dieng, deputy mayor of the commune of Saint-Louis, praised the initiative, stressing the importance of this meeting for a city particularly exposed to the effects of climate change. “Saint-Louis is a laboratory of climate change. We meet all the forms of these changes there. It’s time for us to take concrete measures to mitigate these effects, “she said. It also insisted on the need for the municipality to adopt projects and programs aimed at combating the effects of climate change, while calling on other local authorities to do the same.
Amadou Seydou Kane, member of the environmental committee of the Departmental Council of Saint-Louis, expressed his satisfaction as to his participation in this workshop. He hoped that climate change challenges would be adequately taken into account to find lasting solutions.
This workshop, which took place in a region particularly vulnerable to climatic challenges, is therefore an important step towards the involvement of local actors in the implementation of more resilient climate governance strategies.
Moctar Ficou / VIVAFRIK
