The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Mr Samuel Abu Jinapor, attended the first Forest and Climate Leaders' Partnership co-chair's meeting with US Secretary, John Kerry on the sidelines of the US-Africa Leaders' Summit, in Washington DC, USA.
The meeting was followed by an invitation from the United States Special Presidential Envoy on Climate, and co-chair of the Forest and Climate Leaders' Partnership (FCLP).
The FCLP is a new political forum co-chaired by Ghana and the United States that brings together governments and partners to work on solutions to reduce forest loss, increase restoration and support sustainable development.
Speaking after the meeting, which was held at the US Department, Mr Jinapor explained that the meeting provided them with the opportunity, as co-Chairs, to discuss plans to deliver on the FCLP's high ambitions going into 2023.
Mr Jinapor said among the matters discussed included building offices and the institutional framework to deliver on the objectives of the Partnership, and how to bring major forest countries across the world as members of the Partnership.
The meeting also discussed plans to bring together the African constituency for an African-tailored forum on forest and Climate Change, dubbed "The Africa Forest Carbon Forum" to promote cross-learning among African countries on forest solutions, provide a platform for strategic partnerships and investments, link carbon initiatives and programmes to markets and showcase emission reductions initiatives in different eco-zones on the continent.
According to Mr Jinapor, the meeting considered a Ghana-US Forest Sector Cooperation to scale up the forest and other nature-based solutions to climate change.
He assured that Ghana is poised to work with the United States and other partners, within the FCLP Framework, to protect the forests and halt climate change.
President Joe Biden's Executive Order on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad, the US "Plan to Conserve Global Forests: Critical Carbon Sinks", and the New York Declaration on Forests, align with Ghana's aggressive afforestation and reforestation programme to restore its lost forest cover and contribute to global climate action.
