Despite contributing less than 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions, Africa bears the brunt of climate change. The continent’s low emissions and high vulnerability to climate-induced weather events highlight the need for sustainable adaptation actions. Effective strategies are urgently needed to help Africa cope with the increasing effects of climate change.
To support Africa’s stand on adaptation, the concept of the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) was proposed by the African Group of Negotiators (AGN) in 2013. In 2015 at the twenty-first Conference of the Parties (COP21) in Paris, the AGN successfully rallied the global community to integrate GGA in the Paris Agreement (PA). Article 7.1 of the PA establishes the GGA with the objective of “enhancing adaptive capacity, strengthening resilience and reducing vulnerability to climate change, with a view to contributing to sustainable development and ensuring an adequate adaptation response in the context of the temperature goal […].” Since then, Africa has been advocating for the operationalization of GGA with a lot of resistance from the developed countries. However, in 2021 at the twenty sixth meeting of the Conference of Parties, COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, parties recognized the importance of GGA for effective implementation of the PA and launched a two-year work program called the Glasgow-Sharm el Sheikh work program on GGA. This was the first step in operationalizing the GGA.
At COP27 in Sharm el Sheikh, Dubai, Parties decided to initiate the development of a framework for the GGA. The aim of the framework is to guide the achievement of GGA and review of overall progress in achieving it with a view to reducing the increasing adverse impacts, risks and vulnerabilities associated with climate change, as well as enhance adaptation action and support. At COP 28, the United Arab Emirates Framework for Global Climate Resilience was established. The UAE Framework for Global Climate Resilience brought about seven thematic targets and four-dimensional targets that can be used to track adaptation action. (attach hyperlink to the UAE Framework)
To provide a framework for developing indicators – which can measure and quantify progress for the above targets, a Two-year work program called the United Arab Emirates–Belém work program on indicators was launched. Further, in June 2024 at Subsidiary Bodies sessions (SBs60), discussions on the mapping and development of adaptation indicators were initiated. At the conclusion of the session, the SBs invited submissions on existing indicators, including information on associated methodologies and data readiness for such indicators by 31st July 2024. Given the importance of adaptation to the African continent and that the GGA was first proposed by Africa, it is imperative that African experts are involved in the processes geared towards operationalization of the GGA.
The African Group of Negotiators Expert Support (AGNES) convened a strategic expert meeting in Mombasa, Kenya from July 28th to 30th, 2024. To this end, this important assembly sought to map potential indicators for the GGA and consider deliberations on the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) for climate finance in preparation for the negotiations at the 29th Conference of Parties, (COP 29).
Key Topics Discussed
1. Adaptation Indicators
Adaptation Indicators are key to assessing the progress towards the implementation of the GGA. Such indicators give essential information on the efficiency of adaptation measures that have been undertaken across different sectors to address the needs of the concerned regions and communities. During this meeting, Experts were divided in thematic groups in line with the seven thematic targets of the GGA; Water, Food and agriculture, Health, Ecosystems and Biodiversity, Infrastructure and human settlements, poverty eradication and livelihoods, and cultural heritage, where they mapped out existing indicators while identifying gaps across the indicators.
2. Climate Finance
Climate Finance as one of the elements was discussed in depth; this underlines the importance of finance for adaptation in Africa, most importantly the New Collective Quantified Goal. The meeting interrogated various expectations, and considerations for the new finance goal. Some of the key highlights on the NCQG:
- The NCQG must reflect the true scale and urgency of the climate crisis, demanding ambitious funding that supports the comprehensive needs of developing countries.
- The NCQG should be a genuine commitment rooted in the reality of climate needs, rather than a politically negotiated figure.
Why Climate Finance?
Financial Challenges
Challenges to access climate finance remain high in Africa. The discussion emphasized the salient issues with the global funding mechanism particularly the lengthy disbursement process, which hinders the implementation of climate action projects. As a result, there is a large disparity between the amounts committed by developed nations and the actual funds available to African countries.
Effective Utilization of Funds
Often, if not always, the most critical issue is the effective use of the available resources. Concerns raised include the aspect of misallocation of funds and inadequate capacities to take up projects on climate change adaptation. These challenges require increased capacity development interventions to make certain that funds are utilized effectively.
Transparency and Accountability
Another issue that was agreed to be of paramount importance is the issue of transparency and accountability of climate finance. This includes improved public accountability and monitoring to guarantee that funds translate into positive adaptation impacts and are not redirected to other objectives.
Balancing Finance
The debates also highlighted the need for a proper split between the sources of funds for adaptation and mitigation. The experts argued that though Climate change mitigation is important for future systemic change, there is a greater need for adaptation investment now to support vulnerable communities in Africa.
Commitments Reviewed
The meeting deliberated on a range of Climate Finance commitments that are made by the international community, with a strong focus on the fact that commitments have to be not just high, but achievable. One of the topics of the conversation was that commitments should be flexible to fit the situation and requirements at the ongoing phase.
Support for Vulnerable Communities
Lastly, the need for appropriate targeting of funds to the affected areas was underlined. For climate finance strategies, it is crucial to target such communities, so they can effectively cope with climate change repercussions and sustain their livelihood activities which are climate sensitive.
In conclusion, The key messages drawn from the discussion will support the negotiating teams in the African Group of Negotiators to develop key messages that will be submitted in the global negotiating forums on GGA and Climate Finance. In addition, the indicators identified within the deliberations across the thematic groups have been collated and that will inform the draft African common position at SB61 and COP 29 which will be held in Baku. On climate finance, this sets the foundation for the Climate Finance negotiating teams to set an Africa common position on the Post 2025 climate finance goal.