Climate change to top CPA summit – Kadaga

Parliament. Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga has confirmed that climate change will be top on the agenda for the upcoming 64th Commonwealth Parliamentary conference.
The Speaker was yesterday meeting High Commissioners from Commonwealth countries in a meeting at Parliament.
“The participants will engage debate on issues of climate change, innovations in parliaments, facilitation for persons with disability …” Ms Kadaga said.

This is in line with the theme of the Conference: “Adaptation, engagement and evolution of Parliaments in a rapidly changing Commonwealth.”
The United Nations has raised a red flag on devastating effects of climate change in Africa, projecting that by 2080, a greater part of today’s vegetation cover would have 75 per cent of the continent’s population exposed to hunger.

The global body further warned that climate change remains a potential threat to economic, social and environmental development in Africa.
Ms Kadaga said the conference is expected to attract 1,000 delegates from parliaments of member states.
“The conference draws together speakers of parliaments, clerks of parliaments, spouses and accompanying persons,” she said.
The Speaker called upon ambassadors to strengthen collaborations with Parliament for a fruitful conference.

She emphasised that the conference is a good opportunity for parliaments from the 54 member states to engage and network.
Among other activities, the Conference will have a youth roundtable and a CPA lecture.
Deliberations will also discuss urbanisation, sexual harassment, separation of powers as well as post legislative scrutiny and CPA benchmarks for democratic legislatures.
Parliament recently commissioned a web portal to facilitate online application for the visitors, and has registered significant progress on confirmations.

Guests will meet costs for their accommodations with Parliament only offering to negotiate with the selected 20 hotels to offer fair discount rates.
Parliament will provide transport and protocol services from the time of arrival to departure.
“We are providing chauffer driven cars with lead cars to speakers of national parliaments while other participants will be provided with shared transport,” said Ms Kadaga.

Ms Bintu Jalia Abwooli, the Masindi Woman MP, who is also the chairperson of Uganda Branch Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, told the High Commissioners to encourage their respective assemblies to book hotels in time.
Dr Elly Karuhanga, the Seychelles consular to Uganda, advised that the Conference should be open to the private sector and the rest of the public to showcase business opportunities in Uganda, and the country’s rich culture.
The Speaker said a number of activities have been planned for, including open market stalls for the citizenry.

Climate change
Impact. The Environmental Risk Assessment and Remediation report (2018)
There has been a 0.2 degree Celsius increase in temperatures every decade in Uganda since 1960 and may increase by up to 5.3 degree Celsius by 2080. This means the increase in temperatures increases transpiration and water loss from soils, thereby destroying seedlings and crops. Rainfall projection will decrease by roughly 188mm by 2080 and also a shift of seasons.
The Uganda is highly vulnerable to climate change and variability thus, its economy and the wellbeing of its people are tightly bound to climate.
Solutions. Promoting activities that reduce the pressure off the forest like sericulture, butterfly farming, improved bee-keeping, development of fodder banks, bio-intensive agriculture and farm forestry, among others.

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