November 13, 2024

VIOLET MENGO

Lusaka        

THE African Group of Negotiators (AGN) has re-affirmed its position, highlighting adaptation and climate finance as its top priorities at the 29th session of the Conference of Parties (COP29) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) which opened on Tuesday.

In keeping with the conference theme: ‘In solidarity for a Green World,’ AGN Chair, Ali Mohamed has underscored the importance of adaptation and climate finance, pointing out that the group has a clear mandate from its leaders to ensure fruitful outcomes on the two agenda items, in solidarity with the continent’s 1.4 billion people.

“We will be firm for COP29 to deliver on climate finance and adaptation, regardless of the circumstances surrounding our participation and who we are as a group,” said Ambassador Mohamed.

“We are here, representing the aspirations of 1.4 billion Africans, and we will ensure that we don’t fail. We have a clear mandate from our leaders that the New Collective Quantified Goal on Climate finance must align with actual transition costs faced by developing nations, as the current frameworks substantially underestimate the capital required for nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) implementation across the continent.”

With a proposed quantum of US$1.3 trillion as the minimum annual threshold for climate finance, the African Group has continued to stress the importance of delivering climate resources through concessional instruments and grants, as current market-rate mechanisms have proven wholly insufficient for addressing the scale of adaptation and loss and damage responses required across Africa.

“For us in Africa, adaptation means agriculture support, resilient water infrastructure, and universal health coverage for all, amidst an increased climate-induced disease burden, among other necessary development support. We are therefore not treating our development needs as a separate subject from climate adaptation, which cuts across all our development needs in key sectors,” emphasized
the AGN Chair.

AGN Chair Ambassador Mohamed

Ambassador Mohamed highlighted the urgent need for enhanced climate financing and inclusion of health within the UNFCCC space, in a more structured way.

“Africa group is alive to the urgent need for enhanced climate financing support, with particular emphasis on grant-based and other non-debt burdening financing models for the health sector in Africa. We believe it is also about time for the health sector's inclusion and active participation within the UNFCCC space, in a more structured way,” said Ambassador Mohamed.

Other priority areas for the African group include the critical need for formal recognition of Africa's special circumstances under the Paris Agreement, highlighting the asymmetry between the continent's minimal emissions (four percent of global emissions) and disproportionate vulnerability to climate impacts, mainly seen in agriculture, water, energy and health sectors and the push for the Just Transition work programme to reflect Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC) principles in its operational frameworks.

Africa is also calling for the operationalisation of the fund for Loss and Damage to support African countries in coping with the irreversible impacts of climate change and aid in the recovery of affected communities and finalisation of rules for carbon markets that are robust and deliver environmental integrity and the long-term goals of the Paris Agreement.