Assist Africa’s Fight Against Climate Change With Grants, UNFCC to Partners

Financing of climate change projects across Africa should not put the continent back into debt, for this reason, funding for adaptation and mitigation should be in the form of grants, the deputy executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC), Mr Ovais Sarmad has said.

Speaking on the side-lines at the Africa Climate Week (ACW) in Libreville, Gabon, Mr Sarmad said, the World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Africa Development Bank (AfDB), are all involved in the provision of financing to climate adaptation projects therefore, they must find a way of not causing Africa to incur debts in the attempts to fight climate change.

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He said the delegates were at the Libreville event because of the extreme situation that Africa finds itself in with climate change, adding that “any delay on Africa’s part will deepen the situation.”

ACW 2022 is part of the Regional Climate Weeks 2022 series with similar ones already held in the Middle East, Latin America and the Caribbean leading to the November UN Conference on the Climate (COP27) in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.

Climate change

Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sameh Shoukry, said Africa is paying for the sins of others because though the continent contributes less than 4 per cent of global emissions, it is now confronted with the impacts of climate change that has curtailed her efforts for sustainable growth and testing the resilience of communities,

Shoukry said “these impacts have left almost no region in Africa unaffected, making the continent one of the most devastated by the impacts of climate change.”

He said, “Africa is obliged, with its already limited financial means and scant level of support, to spend around 2-3% of its GDP per annum to adapt to these impacts; a disproportionate responsibility that cannot be described as anything other than “Climate Injustice”. “African Governments, and all other African voices, from civil society, youth, women groups, farmers, workers, academia, and the thriving African private sector, should all continue to call for climate justice based on equity and the availability of means of implementation, and guided by the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities,” Shoukry said.

He said, “we will spare no effort to assist parties in engaging in a frank, constructive and dynamic dialogue that addresses loss and damage, including the central issue of new and additional finance dedicated thereto.”

The COP27 Climate Champion, Dr. Mahmoud Mohieldin, said: “Africa Climate Week is an important moment for climate action in Africa to showcase the continent’s contributions to the global movement to address climate change and to highlight its special needs.”

“The Just transition towards the green economy is a priority for Africa through balancing its need to combat climate change with an urgency to develop the continent’s economies. The adaptation agenda needs a boost at COP27 to promote its global visibility and in particular in Africa, we should be reminded that every dollar spent on adaptation generates two to ten dollars of economic benefits,” he added.

In advance of the ACW 2022 opening, UNDP Administrator, Achim Steiner, said: “We are witnessing the effects of climate change hitting faster than expected, as record-breaking heatwaves ripple across the globe, including the Continent of Africa. Climate-change-induced drought, combined with the cost-of-living crisis, is leaving millions of people in regions such as the Horn of Africa facing hunger and famine.”

“With our window to take decisive action, we need to quickly roll-out innovative solutions and forge strengthened partnerships to slow the steady march of climate change: a key objective of the upcoming Africa Climate Week,” Steiner said. The World Bank’s Country Director for Gabon, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo and Equatorial Guinea, Abdoulaye Seck said, “this Africa Climate week is a critical milestone to mobilize all actors on the continent around the climate agenda ahead of the Africa COP in Sharm el-Sheikh. It is time for African countries to accelerate actions and agree on key priorities to avert the climate crisis. This will require ramping up of climate finance, and at-scale investments to protect and enhance natural capital and build resilience of vulnerable people and communities against the impacts of climate change in Africa through a collective effort.

Executive Director of UNEP, Inger Andersen said “Africa is at the forefront of the climate crisis, but it is also a place of immense potential for action. The COP in Egypt represents a unique opportunity to accelerate implementation of effective climate solutions,” adding that, “with renewables and increased efficiency, we can reduce emissions and tackle energy poverty and air pollution. With nature-based solutions, we can restore ecosystems, build resilience against zoonotic diseases, floods and heatwaves. By reducing food loss and waste, we can mitigate emissions and food insecurity, and reduce pressure on land and water resources.”

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