The ECOWAS Commission is holding a workshop for capacity building of West African’s Civil Society Organizations, the Media and Private Sector on climate change from  the 13th to 15^th of July 2016 in Abuja, Nigeria.

The workshop will bring together representatives from West African networks of Civil Society Organizations, Media and the Private Sector to analyze the Paris Agreement on climate change and identify potential contributions to be made by these actors in its implementation in the West African sub-region.

The workshop billed to strengthen the capacity of the stakeholders, aims at informing and raising the awareness of civil society organizations, the media and the private sector of the challenges and issues that have to do with climate change.

Participants at the workshop are to present the process of international negotiations on climate change that have led to the Paris Agreement, understand the Paris Agreement and raise possible opportunities for civil society organizations, the media and the private sector in its implementation.

Apart from knowing the status of Climate Funds and the Green Climate Fund, they are also expected to identify contributions and actions at both regional and national levels of each of the three groups of actors in the implementation of the Paris agreement and the fight against climate change in West Africa.

Following the adoption of the Agreement, several initiatives are being conducted internationally for its entry into force and implementation of the Convention by Parties with the substantial contribution of other actors.

The ECOWAS Commission is organizing the multilateral negotiations on climate change initiated for more than a decade under the auspices of the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was concluded on 12 December 2015 with the Paris Accord on climate change.

The contribution of regional actors in the implementation of the Paris Agreement is conditioned not only by good provisions but also excellent technical capabilities that can be made effective only through the strengthening of their capacities for understanding and opportunities offered by the Agreement.

The Workshop is being organized in the framework of the implementation of the Climate Change Project with a view of deepening the discourse of having a safer world.