The Islamic Development Bank, IsDB, has pledged to help Nigeria scale up its response to humanitarian crises and its drive to reduce poverty index through the new climate change adaptation policy in a “fair, inclusive, and just transition conceptual framework and action plan”.
The cheery news is the product of a meeting between Nigeria’s Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Betta Edu and the President the Bank, Dr Muhammad Sulaiman Al Jasser on the sidelines of the COP28 Climate Change Conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Dr. Al Jasser told critical stakeholders of some developing countries and development partners that the decision was part of efforts by the bank to align its objective with the “Paris Agreement.”
Al Jasser said climate change has exposed countries to disasters, poverty, insecurity, and humanitarian crises:
“We must quickly intervene to protect the population through social protection and scale up of the social safety net.
“Nigeria needs the support of the Islamic Development Bank through its beautiful initiatives. The time to act is now,” he said.
“This framework which is being launched here at COP 28 signals our readiness to collaborate with all stakeholders, governments, the private sector, civil society, and other development institutions to harness the immense potential of the Paris Agreement for sustainable development.
“In our current role as Chair of the Multilateral Development Banks, MDBs, Working Group on Climate Change, we seek to better coordinate efforts among MDBs at the country level and support the development of long-term national strategies” he explained.
Dr Al Jasser disclosed that the Islamic Development Bank Group stands ready to play its part, support member countries, and work closely with strategic partners.
Dr Edu urged stakeholders to move from words, commitments and policy frameworks to actual action and implementation of the climate change adaptation plan even as she reiterated Nigeria’s commitment to active partnerships that will translate into solutions for millions of its people.
Edu argued that Nigeria is deserving of the support of the bank given President Bola Tinubu’s laudable programs and interventions on humanitarian and poverty-related issues. She said poverty is fast spreading through climate change adaptation issues as flooding, erosion, drying up of the Lake Chad, amongst other issues that have taken away livelihoods displaced millions and heightened insecurity and insurgency.
The minister said the Humanitarian and Poverty Alleviation Trust Fund was one of the administration’s many beautiful ideas to reduce the poverty index and promote prompt responses to humanitarian situations across Nigeria. “GROW NIGERIA” is another intervention closely linked to climate change solutions, she disclosed.
Also present at the high-level meeting was the UN Assistant Secretary General & CEO of African Risk Capacity Group, Mr Ibrahima Cheikh Diong, ILO Director for Priority Action Program on Just Transitions, Dr. Moustapha Gueye, AGRA President, Dr. Agnes Kalibata, IsDB Director Resilience & Climate Action, Syed Husain Quadri, Manager Climate Change and Environment and Dr. Daouda Ndiaye.
Dr Edu later met with the Dr Al-Jasser, holding a long session with the technical team of IsDB to discuss details of the compact agreement between the bank and the Federal Government and also identify projects and programs that Nigeria can tap into.
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