Africa-Press – Kenya. African countries have threatened to disown any outcome from COP28 that does not address some of their demands.
African Group of Negotiators on Climate Change chairperson Collins Nzovu said on Tuesday they will not agree on anything at the COP28 unless Africa’s top priorities are met.
“Adaptation is a key issue for Africa, and an outcome on the Global Goal on Adaptation has been our key demand. We will not agree on anything here unless Africa’s top priorities are met, which to us is a Global Goal on Adaptation framework,” he said.
“If we are serious about saving lives and livelihoods and protecting ecosystems, then the GGA framework must have ambitious, time-bound targets with clear means of support for implementation.”
Nzovu said African countries cannot agree on the Global Goal on Adaptation, which has low ambition.
Nzovu, who is also the Minister of Green Economy and Environment of Zambia, read the statement on behalf of other ministers.
Ministers from Uganda, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, and Sierra Leon attended the press conference.
The Global Goal on Adaptation is a collective commitment aimed at enhancing the world’s adaptive capacity, strengthening resilience, and reducing vulnerability to climate change.
Nzovu said the GGA outcome must address thematic targets and dimensional targets on equal footing, and the targets must be measurable and time-bound to track progress.
“Tracking progress, which is outcome-based, is important in reducing impacts and risks,” he said.
Nzovu said African countries contribute less than three per cent of global emissions but bear the brunt of the impacts of climate change.
However, he said they have committed significant domestic resources to adaptation despite the strain on their budgets and the increasing burden of debt.
Nzovu said only scaled-up, adequate and predictable international public finance can close the widening gap.
He said the means of implementation from developed countries are the cornerstone for realising the GGA and its framework.
Nzovu said the outcome of the global stocktake must recognise Africa’s Sustainable Development and Poverty Eradication imperatives, which are consistent with Agenda 2063.
He said it must be understood that Africa will need to exploit its natural resources and renewable energy endowments to achieve universal access to energy.
Nzovu said the outcome of the global stocktake must promote equity and fairness in the allocation of policy space and ensure that the energy transition will be just, equitable, and orderly.
As such, the transition should be premised on differentiated pathways to net zero and fossil fuel phasedown.
On Monday, UN Secretary General António Guterres made a passionate appeal for negotiators to drop their hardline positions.
Addressing the press on Monday in Dubai, Guterres urged ministers and negotiators to move beyond ‘arbitrary red lines, entrenched positions, and blocking tactics’.
“It is time to go overdrive and negotiate in good faith. It is time to seek compromise for solutions without compromising on the science or the needs for the highest ambitions,” he said.
COP28 Director General Ambassador Majid Al Suwaidi said the COP28 process has to serve the most vulnerable first.
“Our loss and damage outcome at the beginning of COP28 was already a huge success.”
The director general said loss and damage were controversial, but the presidency has delivered results by mobilising about $800 million towards the loss and damage fund.
“We have other successes across the many different action agenda items we have. We have good outcomes from the decisions. Now we need parties to come forward to show us clearly how they’re going to deliver the ambition.’
Suwaidi said there is a need for everyone to help deliver the most ambitious outcome possible that achieves 1.5 degrees and gets us back on track to achieve the set goals.
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