Africa Progress Panel to hold press conference on climate-change talks

An online press conference by the Africa Progress Panel on the upcoming COP21 climate-change conference and treaty talks will take place at 2 p.m. GMT on Thursday.

The event is free, but attendees must register at  www.apo-opo.com. 

The press conference will focus on Africa's economic interests at COP21, which begins  Nov. 30 in Paris.

Journalists and other attendees also can ask about the panel's recent “Power, People, Planet: Seizing Africa’s Energy and Climate Opportunities" report, which focuses on climate change and the relationship between energy and development in Africa and worldwide.


The press conference will be led by former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

Others members of the panel include Michel Camdessus, former managing director of the International Monetary Fund; Peter Eigen, founder of Transparency International; Bob Geldof, musician, businessman and activist; Graça Machel, social and political activist; Strive Masiyiwa, chairman and CEO of Econet Wireless; Linah Mohohlo, governor of the Bank of Botswana; Olusegun Obasanjo, former president of Nigeria; Robert Rubin, former secretary of the U.S. Treasury; and Tidjane Thiam, incoming CEO of Credit Suisse.

Africa reportedly has been feeling the impact of climate change more than many other parts of the world, and COP21 is a mammoth effort to identify ways to move toward a low-carbon global economy.

The press conference also will address the continent's future growth and transformation trajectory, as well as strategies for Africa to take advantage of proactive reactions to global climate-change challenges.