What is the Africa Carbon Forum?

The Africa Carbon Forum is a trade fair and knowledge sharing platform for carbon investments in Africa. It is a place to discuss the latest development in the carbon market and how the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and other mitigation mechanisms can be successful in Africa. The Africa Carbon Forum includes matchmaking and deal facilitation sessions where carbon project developers can showcase their projects to investors and carbon buyers.

In November 2006, the United Nations Secretary-General launched the Nairobi Framework to improve the support of the Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) in underrepresented regions, including Africa. Since then, Africa’s interest and involvement in the Clean Development Mechanism has grown, and with it the number of projects in Africa. Nevertheless, Africa still accounts for less than three per cent of the more than 7,500 CDM projects registered to date in 105 countries.

In an effort to build growing interest on the CDM in Africa, the Nairobi Framework partners: the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the UNFCCC secretariat, the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA) and the World Bank (WB) along with the World Bank Institute organized the first Africa Carbon Forum in Senegal in 2008.

In 2010, the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the African Development Bank (AfDB) joined the Nairobi Framework as partners and organized the second Africa Carbon Forum in Nairobi, Kenya in 2010.

The third Africa Carbon Forum took place in Marrakech, Morocco in 2011 as a commemoration of the 10th anniversary of Marrakech Accords, which kicked off the implementation of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM).

The fourth Africa Carbon Forum took place at the United Nations Conference Centre (UNCC) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in 2012.

The fifth Africa Carbon Forum took place at the Golf Hotel in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire in 2013.

The sixth Africa Carbon Forum is taking place in Windhoek - Namibia, from 02 to 04 July, 2014.

• Updates on recent developments in the international carbon market;

• Information on the challenges dealing with global climate change;

• Discussions with project developers and technical specialists from various sectors and technologies;

• Best practices and lessons learned from the implementation of Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects in Africa;

• Sessions with respected experts from the public and private sector on strategies and measures promoting the benefits of the CDM in Africa emphasizing the new Programmatic CDM approach;

• Opportunities for CDM project developers to showcase projects to private sector representatives in matchmaking and deal facilitation sessions;

• Building networks and finding partners throughout the Forum.

Who should attend the Africa Carbon Forum?

The Africa Carbon Forum brings together main actors and stakeholders from the carbon markets: project owners, project developers, representatives from economic sectors relevant for the CDM; national climate change focal points, national Clean Development Mechanism offices, Investment Promotion Agencies, Designated National Authorities (DNAs); service providers, financial institutions and intermediary companies and representatives from several multilateral agencies.

The Africa Carbon Forum is a free event. Registration is necessary at: http://www.africacarbonforum.com/2014/english/signup.htm