Francophone Climate Justice Gathering

REFLECT! RESIST! RISE!

May 18 – 20, 2021

SUMMARY NOTE

Summary Note

Francophone civil society movements and allied organizations across 13 countries in North, West and Central Africa met in Abidjan, Cote d’ Ivoire from 18 to 20 May 2021 as the first of a series of sub-regional gatherings hosted by the Africa Climate Justice Group (AFCJ).

Grand Lahou, a city on borrowed time

Like the entire West African coastline, Grand Lahou, a coastal city located 150 km west of Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire) is increasingly threatened by rising sea levels and coastal erosion which, little by little, has continued to engulf the city. A hundred years ago when the city was built there was approximately 2 km separating the ocean from the lagoon. Today this distance has shrunk to 200m in some places, and each year it grows smaller.