Africa’s CSOs hold a joint Post-COP27 and Pre-COP28 Continental Strategy Workshop in Kigali

Kigali, Rwanda 15 December 2022: After mixed outcomes from the 27^th Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change that was held recently in Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt, the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance has mobilized hundreds of CSOs representatives from around Africa to a meeting in Kigali, Rwanda, to interrogate the COP27 decisions and review Africa’s performance.

The meeting is to also lay the ground for an advocacy strategy that will guide Africa towards COP28 set for Dubai in UAE next year.

Charles Mwangi, Head of Programmes and Research at the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance said at best, COP27 produced a mixed scorecard.

“On one hand, the establishment of “financial arrangement” for Loss and Damage, a sticky issue before COP27, was “an important point of progress” or at least, the beginning of a response to one of Africa’s key demands,” he said.

Mwangi said COP27 did not progress commitments or show evidence of significant action by countries to further draw down global emissions. “Every year and every COP is critical to progress this key objective – without it, the world will not limit the global temperature rise to below 1.5 degrees Celsius. By this measure, COP27 was a missed opportunity and potentially a step back,” he said.

Prof Seth Osafo, African Group of Negotiators (AGN) legal advisor said when African leaders say simply ‘no to one more drop of fossil fuel investments’, they will not be doing a favour to any other nation but to their own. “African climate action is not a favour to developed countries,” he said.

“Climate impacts are real and our agency as a people to deal with this crisis must supersede the quest for finances that rightfully comes with it.  Our leaders could then demand climate finance, rather than beg for it. They could take the lead on the global stage, instead of trailing behind, begging as helpless victims while accepting new fossil fuel investments that might soon become stranded assets,” said Prof Osafo.

According to Obed Koringo of Care International, the progress on what was made on adaptation was short of what Africa expected. HE said ahead of COP27, the UNEP released a report that showed that the amount of funds flowing in developing countries on adaptation is now 10 times lower than a few years ago.

Dr. Mela Chipondi, Gender Expert, FEMNET said longtime failure to establish the fund for loss and damage has been another way of violence against women urging that time was ripe for people to understand that when they talk about climate justice, this should mean  ‘Women Rights’. “When there is drought or floods women are the most affected as they care for the households,” she said.

“As Africa, one thing that must be pushed for is to follow up discussions around water within the talks around the COP, Sam Malesi, coordinator of the KEWASNET.

The Sharm El-Sheikh Implementation Plan adopted at the end of the Conference also recommended simpler procedure and operational models to ease access to climate finance, especially for African countries.

In some ways, these were wins for Africa since loss and damage and adaptation are critical to addressing the climate crises in the region. Yet in other areas, the Conference may have lowered the bar. For example, the Adaptation Fund got $230 million, in pledges. If things go as planned, discussions of the Global Goal on Adaptation could be concluded next year.

The Conference made no direct demand on Parties to reduce emissions from the energy sector.

Mwangi said in failing to discuss the special needs and circumstances of Africa, the conference again failed to create conditions for developing global climate policies and spurring actions that address the most urgent issues in Africa.