PAYDP Ghana holds national climate change rally

Ghana on Sunday joined the world to mark the Global Climate March (GCM), dubbed: “The National Climate Rally and Music.”

It was orgnnised by PAYDP Ghana, a non-governmental organisation with funding from Action/2015

The GCM is a march held globally for citizens to voice out their concerns about Climate Change.

The National Climate Rally and Music, which started at 0800 hours in “Agbogbloshie” through to Old Fadama, both suburbs of Accra was preceded by a clean-up exercise.

Mrs AkuXornam Kevi, Executive Director, PAYDP Ghana, told the Ghana News Agency in an interview that “We are demonstrating, engaging and talking about the subject to show that tackling climate change is important to all of us.

“And with this we are sure our leaders are being urged to step up in the fight against climate change,” she said.

The day, Mrs Kevi is also an acknowledgement of the meeting of world leaders from more than 190 nations at the United Nation Climate Summit Conference of the Parties (COP21) in Paris from November 30 to December 11, which would deliver a bold new international climate agreement.

PAYDP Ghana decided to hold the march to urge the leader to sign an ambitious climate agreement in Paris that would see countries scale up action until a goal is achieved, she said.

Mrs Kevi added that participants of the march would also use the platform to amplify the voices of those most impacted by climate change.

“From the Amazon to the megacities of the South, from the streets of America to the squares of Europe, from villages in Africa and Asia to low-lying island communities in the Pacific-in cities, town and villages across the world citizens will be marching to drive the change they want to see in the world and highlighting how decisions in Paris will have an impact nationally,” she said.

She advised the public to collectively help in making climate change effective as that would help to make lives comfortable.

“As citizens in our own small ways we all have to be conscious of supporting government’s efforts” she advised.

Mrs Kevi also urged citizens especially the youth to read about climate change to broaden their knowledge on the subject and hold government accountable.

The “Kayaye” Youth Association were partners of the programme with assistance coming from Zoom Lion Ghana, a sanitation management organisation.

PAYDP Ghana is a reproductive health association that works with women and the youth to empower them, and also serve as an advocacy body for gender based violence as well as climate change.

It is a leading coalition made up of various civil society organizations such as Moan Foundation, G-CAP, 350 Ghana, Action 2015 Ghana, and Positive Minded Foundation.