ActionAid Stands with Africa!
The Stand with Africa campaign calls for a just and ambitious US position in upcoming climate summit in Durban, South Africa, starting in November 2011.
Across the world, whether in Durban, South Africa or Biloxi, Mississippi USA, communities of color and communities living in poverty are disproportionately impacted by sea level rise, extreme weather events, and decreases in food production that result from climate change.
Droughts across East Africa — the worst droughts in over 60 years — have pushed parts of Kenya, Ethiopia and Somaliland to near the point of collapse, threatening the lives and livelihoods of more than 10 million people. In the US Southeast, nearly 350 people died in unprecedented tornadoes, with hundreds more affected by floods along the Mississippi River, and droughts in the South of the US.
In November 2011 (November 28 — December 9), world leaders will meet in Durban, South Africa for a major summit on climate change (the 17th Conference of Parties, or COP 17). The Durban summit presents a new opportunity to make progress towards addressing the climate crisis.
COP 17 takes place on the continent of Africa, one of the regions in the world most heavily impacted by climate change. When policy makers meet on African soil, they must stand with communities in Africa and elsewhere who are disproportionately impacted by climate change.
In advance of the Durban summit, the Stand with Africa campaign is calling on the United States — the single largest contributor to the climate crisis — to lay out a clear plan for how it will meet and exceed its current emission reduction target; commit to at least one new and innovative approach to generate public finance to help countries confront climate change; and to support a transparent, accountable, and environmentally sound Green Climate Fund that ensures the meaningful participation of affected communities and civil society.
Partners (we will be regularly updating this list): ActionAid USA, Africa Faith and Justice Network, Americans for Informed Democracy, Columban Center for Advocacy and Outreach, Environmental Justice and Climate Change Initiative (EJCC), Foreign Policy in Focus, Friends of the Earth USA, Greenpeace USA, Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, NAACP, Oxfam America, the Sustainable Energy and Economy Network at the Institute for Policy Studies, WWF.
Will you Stand with Africa? Here are four ways to get involved today!
- Sign our petition calling on President Obama to Stand with Africa. We will send the petition to President Obama and personally deliver it to Obama Administration officials at the Durban climate summit.
- Order campaign postcards to share with your family, friends, and community. We have developed postcards that urge Members of Congress to show their support for an ambitious US position in Durban. Postcards are free of charge. A minimum order of 25 postcards is required. If you would like to order postcards, please write to climatecampaign@actionaid.org
- Participate in our call-in days! On October 14th the Stand with Africa campaign will hold a call-in day so that you can urge your Member of Congress to Stand with Africa and Act Now for Climate Justice.
- On November 14, two weeks before the Durban summit starts, the campaign will hold a call-in day to the office of Treasury Secretary Geithner. We will be calling on Mr. Geithner to support new public finance to help countries adapt to climate impacts.
If you would like information on these call-in days and other ways to get involved in the campaign, please write to climatecampaign@actionaid.org or call 202-835-1240 extension 200.