The United Kingdom has appointed Ghana’s Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Mr Samuel Abu Jinapor, as Co-Chair of the Forests and Climate Leaders’ Partnership (FCLP), the flagship programme on climate change mitigation.
He will Co-Chair the programme with Mr John Kerry, the United States’ Special Presidential Envoy for Climate and former Secretary of State.
Ms Harriet Thompson, the British High Commissioner to Ghana, announced this on Thursday when she paid a working visit to the Minister, in Accra, to formally present the letter to him to Co-Chair the programme.
The FCLP is a new political forum, established by the United Kingdom, to enable governments and partners to work together to implement solutions that would help reduce forest loss and land degradation as well as promote sustainable development.
It seeks to mobilise high-level political leadership on forests, land-use and climate to increase restoration and ensure accountability for the pledges made by stakeholders.
She said Mr Jinapor had shown continued support to forests and other nature-based climate actions since his appointment as Minster.
Ms Thompson acknowledged Ghana’s active involvement in the Forest Agriculture and Climate Trade (FACT) Dialogue at COP 26, noting that the appointment of a Ghanaian Minister provides an opportunity for the country to maintain a high-level recognition on climate action and re-galvanise the international community to scale-up climate action.
Mr Jinapor accepted the appointment and commended the UK Government through the High Commissioner for the honour and confidence reposed in him, the Ministry, and Ghana as a whole.
He said President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was passionate about climate change, which he demonstrated when he joined world leaders to sign the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use on the sidelines of COP26 in Scotland.
Mr Jinapor said it was in the same spirit that the Ministry had been implementing many initiatives to contribute to nature-based climate action.
These include the Green Ghana Project, the FACT Dialogue, REDD+ programme, the Cocoa and Forest Initiative, and the Forest Investment Programme.
He pledged his commitment to the new role by working with Mr Kerry to achieve the programme objectives.
On June 1, 2022, Mr Jinapor attended the High-level Ministerial meeting on Political Action for Climate, Forests and Land Use in Stockholm, Sweden, where he had side meetings and engagements with John Kerry, the Right Honourable Alok Sharma, 26th President of the United Nations Climate Change Conference, and Lord Goldsmith, the UK’s Minister for Asia, Energy, Climate and Environment.
His appointment comes as a follow up to this Ministerial Meeting.
Mr Jinapor took the opportunity to call for collective action by all countries to provide a unique space for intergovernmental collaboration and coordinated action with partners and stakeholders to contribute towards the global fight against the adverse effects of climate change.
Source:GNA