Urgent Call to Action at SB60: Addressing Climate Change Impacts in Africa

 We represent millions of climate change victims across Africa – smallholder farmers, women, youth, people with disabilities, indigenous communities, local businesses – and we wish to set priorities for SB60.

Recently, devastating climate-fueled floods have ravaged African countries, leaving millions of families in ruin, thousands dead, and billions of dollars in property damage. In the Horn of Africa, entire communities were wiped out by floods and landslides. These increasingly frequent disasters highlight the urgent need for tangible climate action.

We are deeply troubled by the escalating climate-related debts and adaptation costs. Establishing a new global climate finance compact that meets the needs of frontline communities is critical. SB60 must remove barriers to achieving this at COP29 in Baku.

SB60 should build on the Dubai Declaration and UAE-Belem Work Programme, and the UNFCCC parties must uphold their commitments to combat global warming. Securing public financing for climate action through the New Collective and Quantified Goal (NCQG) is paramount. Progress in framing the Global Goal on Adaptation is essential for millions of Africans struggling to adapt.

We urge developed countries to focus on providing public finance and reject efforts to shift the burden onto vulnerable communities. This includes avoiding double-counting climate finance and mislabeling existing aid commitments as climate finance.

The outcomes of SB60 must reflect significant progress on the Global Goal on Adaptation and the NCQG, as championed by the UAE, Azerbaijan, and Brazil. The time for action is now; our survival depends on it.

Watch the press briefing here

SB60_statement. 04th June 2024