Jinapor, John Kerry Co-Chair Climate Forum

The Forests and Climate Leaders’ Partnership (FCLP) has held its first ministerial meeting in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, at the ongoing twenty-seventh session of the Conference of Parties (COP27) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

The meeting, which was attended by 28 Ministers from member countries of the FCLP and five observer countries, was co-chaired by the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources and Member of Parliament for Damongo Constituency, Mr. Samuel A. Jinapor, and the United States Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, Senator John Kerry on Saturday.

FCLP is a new political forum that brings together governments and partners to work together to implement solutions that reduce forest loss, increase restoration, and support sustainable development.

It creates a platform for Heads of State and Government and their Ministers to combine their political efforts to accelerate global action to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030, while delivering sustainable development and promoting an inclusive rural transformation.

This followed the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use, adopted by world leaders at COP26, last year, where they committed to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030.

The new Partnership seeks to ensure delivery and continued political focus on the 2030 target of the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration.

FCLP was launched on Monday, 7th November, 2022, by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and the Prime Minister of United Kingdom, Rishi Sunak, at a Forests and Climate Leaders’ Summit in Sharm El Sheikh.

Ghana and the United States of America have been appointed the first co-chairs of this Partnership, with Mr. Jinapor and Senator Kerry chairing the ministerial session.

The ministerial session of the FCLP is responsible for driving the ambition of the Partnership, and the co-chairs lead its annual meetings and other high-level discussions on key issues for the FCLP.

Speaking after the meeting, the Minister expressed his satisfaction with the outcome of the meeting and said the FCLP is on course to deliver forest and nature-based climate solutions at scale.

Mr. Jinapor said the first meeting of the Partnership was to discuss policy priorities and work plan for 2023 and beyond to deliver on the objectives of the Partnership.

He said members of the FCLP appreciate the enormity of the climate crisis and the urgency to scale up forest and other nature-based solutions. 

The Minister said he intends to use his role as co-Chair of the Partnership to showcase Ghana’s climate actions, and work with other forest countries to promote forest solutions to climate change.

He expressed his gratitude to the Government of the United Kingdom for the confidence reposed in him and said he will work with all the members of the Partnership and other stakeholders to ensure that the objectives of the Partnership are realised.

Mr. Jinapor has been promoting forests and nature-based solutions at the ongoing COP27 and efforts being made by Ghana to halt climate change. Ghana has recorded her first verified and validated emission reduction of over 970,000 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, and is set to receive close to US$5 million from the Carbon Fund of the World Bank.

This makes Ghana the third country in line to receive such payment from the Carbon Fund, and the forestry sector the first in the country to receive payments for emission reduction.