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African parliamentarians have pledged to adopt policies aimed at promoting sustainable development, adaptation and climate mitigation actions in their countries.

The legislators said laws play a crucial role in driving change and pledged to engage the international community to come up with clean energy solutions.

They made the resolutions on the day National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula challenged African nations to work together to deal with the effects of climate change.

“Africa is a continent that has for many years been an object of pity by those who put us where we are and an object of hopelessness. But nobody will spring us from the despair and hopelessness if not ourselves,” he said.

No angels

Addressing the MPs, Wetang’ula (pictured) said it will only take collective efforts to propel the continent to greater heights.

“ We must appropriate enough resources for climate adaptation. We are not suffering because of our own doing but because we are collateral damage. Africans must come together and speak in one voice. No angels will come to solve our problems. It is us,” said Wetang’ula (pictured).

Speaking during the Climate Change Summit Parliamentary Dialogue where he presided over discussions at the National Assembly Chambers today emphasised the pivotal role Parliaments play in mitigating climate change’s impact and expressed concern about the underutilization of this potential.

“Parliaments across Africa hold the key to the success of the Climate Change agenda. You must be fiercely and viciously patriotic while dealing with legislation related to climate change matters,” he stated.

The parliamentarians also pledged to hold themselves and their governments accountable for the commitments they make at national, regional and global levels.

 “By convening the first Accountability Summit for Parliamentarians at COP28, they will establish mechanisms to monitor progress, assess the effectiveness of policies and drive continuous improvement,” the resolutions stated.