Alieu Badara Joof was speaking at the twenty-seven high level conference of parties of the UNFCC (COP 27) in Sharm El Sheik, Egypt, on behalf of the Gambian leader, His Excellency President Adama Barrow.
VP Joof stated: “Our NDC2 was acknowledged to be ambitious and in compliance with Article 4, paragraphs 6 and 19 of the Paris Agreement. The Gambia has also submitted its strategy for becoming climate neutral by 2050 – called The Gambia`s Long-Term Climate-Neutral Development Strategy 2050 (LTS) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) available for viewing on their website.
He reminded leaders that The Gambia being a small and low-lying country, bisected by the River Gambia, “our greatest risk is the sea level rise, posing potentially a greater existential threat to the country, especially the capital, Banjul.
“This year’s floods and the windstorms of last year caused enormous destruction to live and livelihoods, putting much pressure on our already mega national budget and achieving the SDGs. Pledges of financial support alone are not sufficient, we need practical financial commitments, easily accessible without much procedural difficulties. Like many LDCs, The Gambia’s negligible contribution to the global emission of Green House Gas (GHG) is less than 0.01%, but still took a lead to respond to the global call for action to prepare an ambitious NDC2 meeting the Paris Agreement’s temperature goal of 1.50oC. This is a clear indication of the highest level of political will and commitment,” he added.
Joof then joined other speakers to call on developed countries to make good on their promises on climate financing, saying developed nations that have contributed more to the accumulation of greenhouse gas emission, should take a leading responsibility to finance the climate crisis with reference to the Paris Agreement.
