Admin Assistant Climate Change and Desertification Control

ADMINISTRATIVEASSISTANT CLIMATE CHANGE AND DESERTIFICATION CONTROL

The African Union, established as a unique Pan Africancontinental body, is charged with spearheading Africa's rapid integration andsustainable development by promoting unity, solidarity, cohesion andcooperation among the peoples of Africa and African States as well as developinga New Partnership Worldwide. Its Headquarters is located in Addis Ababa,capital of Ethiopia.

In seeking to achieve the above objectives, theAfrican Union seeks to fillthe vacant position of theClimate Change and Desertification Unit in the Directorate of Rural Economy andAgriculture to strengthen its capacity to deliver by, amongothers, the implementation of a new organizational structure and the filling ofall vacant posts.

BACKGROUNDINFORMATION

Climate change is having adverse effects in Africaranging from declining water resources, reduced agricultural productivity,spread of vector-borne diseases to new areas, drop in fish population andincreased flooding and heavier rainfall among others. Climate variability liesbehind much prevailing poverty, food insecurity, and weak economic growth inAfrica. The officialgoals of the climate change convention “are to stabilize the amount ofgreenhouse gases in the atmosphere at a level that prevents dangerous man-madeclimate changes. Climate Change and Development was the sub – theme of theJanuary 2007 Summit held in Addis Ababa. Following the Summit deliberations,the Commission became increasingly involved in the global climate change talksand negotiations considering the vital stakes Africa has in these dialogues;the Commission continues to steer efforts of AU Member States and RegionalEconomic Communities as well as other stakeholders in dealing with multiplechallenges including climate change by engaging both regional and globalpartners in promoting and defending the continent’s interest.

Alandmark Summit Decision was adopted in January 2009, which mandated the AUCommission among other things to facilitate the building of a common AfricaPosition in preparations for the Fifteenth Conference of Parties (COP15) inDenmark, Copenhagen in December 2009. Subsequently, the July 2009 Summit in Sirte, Libya adopted therecommendation of the decision of thee Executive Committee EX.CL/Dec.500 (XV)Rev. 1 on the establishment of the Climate Change and Desertification ControlUnit in the Directorate of Rural Economy and Agriculture.