Douala, Cameroon, is set to host a critical three-day validation meeting from April 24th to 26th, 2024, aimed at strengthening climate resilience across Africa. Organized by the African Group of Negotiators Experts Support (AGNES) in partnership with key stakeholders, the workshop will convene UNFCCC focal points, regional collaboration centers, and other partners to review and validate the findings of a comprehensive study on Long-Term Strategies (LTS) for climate resilience on the continent.
The urgency to address climate change underscores the necessity for robust long-term strategies to effectively mitigate its impacts. While short-term weather patterns fluctuate, the persistence of factors like carbon dioxide in the atmosphere highlights enduring challenges. Under the Paris Agreement, nations are encouraged to develop LTS to bolster the global response to climate threats. However, progress has been slow, with only 36% of countries globally and 8 countries representing 15% in Africa having communicated their LTS, indicating a pressing need for proactive action.
In response to this gap, AGNES and Regional Collaboration Centers commissioned Climate Analytics to conduct a comprehensive study on LTS development across Africa. The study aimed to assess the current landscape, challenges, and opportunities, as well as identify best practices to inform future strategies. Following the completion of the study, a stakeholder validation workshop will convene to review and validate the findings, engaging participants in discussions to assess the report’s robustness, provide feedback, and develop strategies to enhance African countries’ capacity in LTS development and alignment with National Determined Contributions (NDCs).
The workshop aims to produce a stakeholder engagement summary report and a strategy for enhancing African countries’ LTS capacity and aligning them with next-generation NDCs. The study highlighted overlaps between LTS and NDCs, emphasizing the need for alignment to ensure coherent climate action. It also identified challenges such as feasibility of emissions reduction targets, limited technical capacity, and insufficient private sector engagement, proposing solutions including accessing international climate finance and fostering stakeholder engagement.
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About the Author: Festus Langat is a Communications and Outreach officer at AGNES.