The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) in collaboration with the Institut de la Francophonie pour le développement durable (IFDD), a subsidiary body of the International Organization of La Francophonie (IFDD), is organising the four-day capacity building programme, dubbed “Capacity Building for Francophone Women Negotiators 2025”.

The workshop is expected to enable French-speaking women negotiators to participate fully in international climate change negotiations, as part of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) process.

More specifically, it would allow trained women to acquire basic knowledge of the processes and actors of climate negotiations, mastering the tools and best practices of climate negotiation and communication.

It would also deepen their understanding on the latest developments on the priority issues of the negotiations, in particularly, climate finance, cooperation mechanisms under Article 6, transparency, loss and damage, technologies, mitigation and adaptation, as well as Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE), among others.

Nana Dr Antwi Boasiako Amoah, Acting Director, in charge of Climate Vulnerability and Adaptation, EPA, said because Ghana was surrounded by French speaking countries, it was prudent that it hosted the programme being attended by women from 26 Francophone countries and Ghana, and focussing on “women voices” and women’s problems around the table.
They would be developing negotiation skills through practice and strengthen networking among Francophone negotiators.
Dr Amoah said there had been some few women already involved in the global climate negotiations, which was not enough, and so there was the need to train and have more of them, especially the young people, to be able to play a key role in the negotiations.

“The French because of the language barrier in the UNFCCC process, normally even when they know, are afraid to talk around the table. So, this is a way to bring together English and French and then match and pair us, to be able to build our capacities together.”
He said the participants would also explore the issues of financing and how Africa could amplify its voice on the climate financing.

“What is bringing us together is about negotiations-Climate change is bringing all of us together, because climate change is trans-boundary, cross-cultural and then it is also an international phenomenon,” Dr Amoah said.

The IFDD, has over the past four years, strengthened the capacities of over 400 women from French-speaking developing countries, with many of them integrated into their countries’ delegations and contribute significantly to the work of the negotiating coalitions to which their countries belong.
Others have gained the trust of their authorities and have been entrusted with important responsibilities at the administrative or local levels.

Countries face several challenges when participating in international climate negotiations. Delegates, therefore needed to continue to build their capacity to master negotiation techniques and develop arguments based on the positions of negotiating coalitions.

In addition, in most countries, there are regular changes in the number of negotiators, so new recruits needed to understand the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change process, acquire knowledge of the issues and master the tools to help negotiate, the organisers had indicated.

As part of its Initiative to strengthen the capacities of Francophone women negotiators, IFDD and its partners had planned several activities: including a series of virtual workshops in preparation for the negotiation sessions, training workshops, the provision of negotiation support tools and the conduct of a twinning programme between Francophone and Anglophone negotiators.

The capacity building initiative is supported by the financial contribution of Environment and Climate Change Canada, the Principality of Monaco and the Government of France.

Professor Nana Ama Browne Kluste, Chief Executive Officer, EPA, commended the partners for the collaboration, and expressed the commitment of the Government of Ghana towards such important partnerships in strengthening Africa’s voice in the global discourse.
She said even though women were disproportionately affected by the impact of climate change, but they are also leaders in resilience, innovation and community action.

“This is why Ghana insists that no negotiation is complete without women at the table. When women negotiate, they bring perspectives grounded in life realities from managing households affected by droughts, to leading farmer cooperatives to mobilising communities for disaster response. Their leadership is indispensable…,” Prof Browne Klutse said.

Mr Maher Kheir, the Ambassador of Lebanon, who is also the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps in Ghana, was happy that the event is ensuring that the voices of the excluded and the vulnerable, and of future generations were heard in the global arena.
He charged the participants to be determined and tougher as the global negotiations got tougher, since they represent critical groups in the society.