A Communiqué from the 5th African Regional Conference on Loss and Damage

Triggering Momentum on Supporting Loss and Damage in an Era of Weakening Commitment to Climate Justice

The 5th African Regional Conference on Loss and Damage aimed to provide a platform for African stakeholders to develop strategies for advancing sustainable, equitable, and just financing and technical support on loss and damage in Africa.

The conference was convened in Lilongwe, Malawi, from March 25 to 27, 2026, and brought together participants from African governments, frontline communities, non-state actors¹, UN agencies, and development partners. Following comprehensive in-person and virtual consultations, participants issued the following statement:

We are:

Aware that Africa must act decisively in response to several interlinked and rapidly evolving dynamics shaping the loss and damage discourse, particularly as recent climate negotiations have been weakened by geopolitical tensions and reduced leadership from major emitters, thereby undermining ambition and accountability.

Perplexed by the lack of political will among developed countries to implement their agreed obligations to limit global warming to below 1.5°C, as highlighted in the Paris Agreement. This failure disproportionately burdens African countries, which bear the most severe consequences despite contributing the least to historical emissions driving the climate crisis.

Reflecting on the historical responsibilities and systemic financial inequities in global climate finance, where Africa faces structural barriers to accessing funds, with a disproportionate reliance on loans rather than grants. This imbalance further exacerbates existing debt burdens and ultimately limits the capacity of African nations to respond effectively to climate crises.

Concerned about the critical financing gap and lack of political will, with current global commitments to Loss and Damage remaining grossly inadequate relative to the scale of need. The slow mobilisation of resources reflects a fundamental deficit in political will rather than resource availability.

Deeply concerned that less than one billion United States dollars has been mobilised for loss and damage over the past four years against an estimated annual need of USD 400–800 billion. Additionally, only ten percent of climate finance reaches frontline communities, with children and youth receiving just 2.4% of total climate financing.

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5th ARCLD_Communique Summarized Version