More than twenty African countries today adopted the so-called Nairobi Declaration on the final day of the Africa Climate Summit (ACS), calling on rich countries to keep their financial promises in the face of the climate crisis and commit to attracting more investment for clean energy.
“The Nairobi Declaration reaffirms our resolve and lays the foundation for a new phase of global climate action and the sustainable development agenda, giving the future of socio-economic transformation a distinctive and affirming African character,” Kenyan President William Ruto told The Country co-hosted the summit with the African Union (AU).
Ruto disclosed that financial commitments from governments, private sector players, multilateral banks and NGOs to promote “green growth, climate mitigation and adaptation” in Africa during the meeting totaled $23 billion.
The document contains not only demands on the international community, such as “reducing emissions,” but also commitments from African governments, such as developing policies and incentives to “attract local, global and regional investment.”
“We call on world leaders to join us in seizing this unprecedented opportunity to accelerate global decarbonization while pursuing equality and shared prosperity,” the signatories noted.
The statement reiterates the calls made since the summit began this Monday for rich countries to meet their still unfulfilled commitment to mobilize 100 billion euros annually to help the global south deal with the climate crisis.
There are also calls for the implementation of the Loss and Damage Fund, which was created during the COP27 climate summit in November last year.
“We are committed to driving economic growth and job creation in Africa in a way that not only limits our own emissions, but also contributes to global decarbonization efforts by outpacing traditional industrial development,” they emphasized.
The text also proposes to “increase” activities to curb deforestation, biodiversity loss, desertification and land degradation and to promote “sustainable agricultural practices” that strengthen food security at a time when climate shocks affect millions of Africans drove hunger.
It also highlights the desire to “strengthen continental cooperation” and accelerate the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), which came into force in 2019 and aims to create the largest trade-free zone in the world.
“We call for joint global action to mobilize the capital needed for both development and climate action,” the countries said, emphasizing that no country should choose between the two.
To this end, the document considers it essential, among other measures, to address the inequalities in the cost of debt between rich and poor countries and to reform the global financial system so that it ensures “the representation, voice and capacity of all countries” through measures such as ” Debt break clauses”.
The text also calls for the transfer of environmentally friendly technologies and the development of international trade mechanisms that allow African products to “compete on equal terms.”
The statement, which the ACS sets as a semi-annual event, also proposes the imposition of a “global carbon tax” and trade in fossil fuels, shipping and aviation.
Although the document sets out some general guidelines, it does not contain any concrete commitments after countries spent three days outlining their different interests, which are sometimes contradictory depending on their own energy markets.
With the Nairobi Declaration, Africa aims to articulate a unified perspective before various international forums, such as the COP28 climate summit scheduled for the end of the year in Dubai, the UN General Assembly, the Group of Twenty (G20, bloc of rich economies, etc.). developing countries) or international financial institutions. EFE
“The Nairobi Declaration reaffirms our resolve and lays the foundation for a new phase of global climate action and the sustainable development agenda, giving the future of socio-economic transformation a distinctive and affirming African character,” Kenyan President William Ruto told The Country co-hosted the summit with the African Union (AU).
Ruto disclosed that financial commitments from governments, private sector players, multilateral banks and NGOs to promote “green growth, climate mitigation and adaptation” in Africa during the meeting totaled $23 billion.
The document contains not only demands on the international community, such as “reducing emissions,” but also commitments from African governments, such as developing policies and incentives to “attract local, global and regional investment.”
“We call on world leaders to join us in seizing this unprecedented opportunity to accelerate global decarbonization while pursuing equality and shared prosperity,” the signatories noted.
The statement reiterates the calls made since the summit began this Monday for rich countries to meet their still unfulfilled commitment to mobilize 100 billion euros annually to help the global south in the face of the climate crisis.
There are also calls for the implementation of the Loss and Damage Fund, which was created during the COP27 climate summit in November last year.
“We are committed to driving economic growth and job creation in Africa in a way that not only limits our own emissions, but also contributes to global decarbonization efforts by outpacing traditional industrial development,” they emphasized.
The text also proposes to “increase” activities to curb deforestation, biodiversity loss, desertification and land degradation and to promote “sustainable agricultural practices” that strengthen food security at a time when climate shocks affect millions of Africans drove hunger.
It also highlights the desire to “strengthen continental cooperation” and accelerate the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), which came into force in 2019 and aims to create the largest trade-free zone in the world.
“We call for joint global action to mobilize the capital needed for both development and climate action,” the countries said, emphasizing that no country should choose between the two.
To this end, the document considers it essential, among other measures, to address the inequalities in the cost of debt between rich and poor countries and to reform the global financial system so that it ensures “the representation, voice and capacity of all countries” through measures such as ” Debt break clauses”.
The text also calls for the transfer of environmentally friendly technologies and the development of international trade mechanisms that allow African products to “compete on equal terms.”
The statement, which the ACS sets as a semi-annual event, also proposes the imposition of a “global carbon tax” and trade in fossil fuels, shipping and aviation.
Although the document sets out some general guidelines, it does not contain any concrete commitments after countries spent three days outlining their different interests, which are sometimes contradictory depending on their own energy markets.
With the Nairobi Declaration, Africa aims to articulate a unified perspective before various international forums, such as the COP28 climate summit scheduled for the end of the year in Dubai, the UN General Assembly, the Group of Twenty (G20, bloc of rich economies, etc.). developing countries) or international financial institutions. EFE
Would you like to help us? Share our weekly #SustainablePlanet newsletter with friends, colleagues… who might be interested.
And if you still don’t receive it, you can join our mailing list here:
