In Africa news. …Civil Societies have decried the unjust reasons for visa denial which have led to the absence of Nigeria’s Official Negotiators at the COP19 holding in Warsaw this year.
The Poland Embassy has allegedly engaged in a spree of total, unjust and frivolous excuses for refusal of visas to accredited delegates to COP19.
For instance, a reason given is that the information submitted regarding the justification for purpose and conditions of intended stay were unreliable.
This in spite of the confirmation and invitation from UNFCC as well as such grounds that the intention to leave the territory of Member States before the expiry of the visa could not be ascertained.
In addition, the aggrieved groups argued that the designated contact points could be given as an undertaking if the Embassy was sufficiently friendly and demanded for such.
Within the last 5 years, Europe hosts COP meeting for the third time and Poland hosts for the second time in this period. Nevertheless, this is the first time accredited delegates will be subjected to these inhumane and racially discriminatory treatment by the current, alleged very unfriendly Consular staff of the Polish Embassy in Nigeria.
Africa suffers the greatest impacts of climate change when she contributes just 4% of the entire global carbon emissions. The Civil Society is closest to the grass roots which suffer these adverse effects most due to their lack of knowledge to mitigate and adapt to climate change.
Consequently, these developments but the Embassy of Poland Abuja, in bad light as it has so far frustrated the efforts, roles and involvement of the civil society from Nigeria by its alleged discriminatory attitude against Nigerians in the issuance of visas to COP19.
Why would the Poland Embassy in Nigeria in 2013 create disaffection amongst delegates, frustrate and destroy the foreign image of their host country by working against the vision of the UNFCCC Secretariat?
How would a sustainable world of peace, security and human dignity be achieved by this bureaucratic bottle-necks that smack of racial discrimination? So many unanswered questions which need immediate answers so Nigeria is not left out of the COP19 climate talks in order to provide a road map to the next global climate binding deal.
Posted by Chinonso Okorie on November 13, 2013 on http://developmentdiaries.com.
