NOTICE: New Schedule for ACCER Awards 2016

2016  ACCER AWARDS REVISED SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES

2016 will be a crucial year for the African continent and the climate discourse community. Since the adoption of the Paris Agreement in an unprecedented diplomatic victory in France in December last year, there has been a lull and atmosphere of “wait-and-see” as the global community focus on the next actions in
tackling climate change. The UNFCCC-COP22, viewed as the COP of implementation, will be hosted by an African country, Morocco, and will present an opportunity for the continent’s citizens to enhance the advocacy for accelerated climate action, and particularly the implementation of the Paris Agreement.  

In the countdown to the Marrakech Climate Change Conference to be held on 7-18 November 2016, African stakeholders, including governments, Civil Society and development partners, are actively engaging in various preparatory processes aimed at building momentum. This is this moment to build the profile of Africa, first as a champion of climate action, and secondly as the region recognized as the most vulnerable to climate change impacts. 

This will be the time to tell the world that though climate change, which we have played insignificant role to cause, has slowed our journey to economic progress, we want to collaboratively turn this monumental challenge into opportunity. We want to use the Morocco narrative of hope than despair to tell the global community that, yes, this is the continent which has borne the brunt of climate crisis, but our resilience built over years has made us survive scorching sun, erratically torrential rainfall, floods and droughts.

These are stories being told by our communities, but because they cannot reach bigger audience, remain within themselves. There is need to share these stories. Telling the stories as they are! And this is the spirit of the 3^rd edition of the African Climate Change and Environmental Reporting (ACCER) Awards.

Two milestones have already been achieved. We already have received hundreds of entries of the third edition, and now we are on the next stage. A very delicate stage (the selection process) where all the entries are handed over to the group of judges which scrutinized them and select the Finalists.

Judges will keep the list of the selected finalists under lock and key, until the day announcements will be made in public. Once the finalists are unveiled, they will be placed in extensive training, under the Auspices of The ACCER Awards Finalists Academy (TAAFA), where the recommendations of the Judges will form the curriculum of the 3-Month non-resident, online interaction between journalists and trainers. 

The ACCER Awards Gala Night, to fete the Winners, will be held at the sidelines of the Sixth Climate Change and Development Conference for Africa (CCDA-VI). 

The following table summarizes the dates and key activities:

DATE& VENUE	ACTIVITY
June 25th 2016 – July 8th2016 Nairobi, Kenya	Selection of Finalists by the Panel of Judges
July 11th 2016 Kigali, Rwanda	Announcement of Finalists
July 12th  - September 30th Regional	TAAFA Academy & Webinars
October, CDDAVI	ACCER Awards Gala Night

And the announcement of the finalists will take place at yet another continental forum, at the sidelines of the 27^th African Union Summit in July in Kigali, Rwanda, whose theme will be“African Year of Human Rights with Particular Focus on the Rights of Women”.

PACJA appreciates the successful growth of the  ACCERAwards  which lies in the collective dedication, responsibility and ownership cultivated over time.

It is our desire to reflect the shared prosperity and well-being, for unity and integration, for a practice of free citizens and expanded horizons, where the full potential of men and women across Africa in the field of Climate change and Environmental reporting  are realized, and with freedom as they tell and shape our own African narrative of climate change.