Loss and Damage Fund and GST take centre stage as AGN strategises for Bonn Climate talks

The African Group of Negotiators on Climate Change (AGN) Lead Coordinators have convened in Bonn, Germany, to strategise ahead of the 58^th session of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate (UNFCCC) Subsidiary Bodies (SB58) Conference scheduled for June 5–15, 2023.

The Global Stocktake (GST) and discussions on the modalities for establishment of the Loss and Damage Fund are dominating the agenda.

The GST, as enshrined in Article 14 of the Paris Agreement, is a process for taking stock of the implementation of the Paris Agreement with the aim to assess the world’s collective progress towards achieving the purpose of the agreement and its long-term goals.

The first stocktake got underway at the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow in November, 2021 and is expected to conclude at COP28. Each stocktake is a two-year process that happens every five years. Thus, as Parties prepare for the SB58 session and COP28 later in the year, all eyes are on the outcome of this process, which is critical to achieving the overarching goal of the Paris Agreement and the Convention.

The GST is currently in the technical phase. The political phase will be at COP28 where leaders will be expected to adopt the outcomes of the process.

Similarly, in view of the landmark COP27 decision on Loss and Damage, the discussions centred on the need for robust and flexible modalities for the operationalisation of the Loss and Damage Fund.

Speaking when he officially opened the meeting, AGN Chair, Ephraim Mwepya Shitima re-affirmed AGN’s call for the GST to be balanced, covering all thematic areas, and the need for robust and flexible modalities for the operationalisation of the Loss and Damage Fund.

"This is an important year for us; following key outcomes from COP27, and especially in the context of taking stock of where we are, we have a mammoth task to ensure we continue advancing Africa’s interests. We cannot afford to lose track of the GST, whose outcome, we have repeatedly said, must be comprehensive and balanced to facilitate progress across all the thematic areas, and respect the priority issues of all Parties and stakeholders.

“Our emerging position, which is still being discussed, is to ensure an equitable and just global transition to low emission and climate resilient world that allows African countries the policy space to achieve the SDGs in the immediate to medium-term (2030), using all its natural resources and endowment. Equally, operationalization of Loss and Damage Fund with flexible and robust modalities, is a key priority for the AGN as our leaders and the entire continent is banking on us to ensure that it is not short-changed," said Shitima.

Other key agenda items included the continued push for Africa’s Special Needs and Special Circumstances; the need for scaled-up financial and technical support to implement Africa’s highly ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), in particular, adaptation finance through a call for grant-based financial resources for African countries and the need to reform the climate financial architecture; the need to expedite operationalization of the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA); Just Transition work programme; a call for ambitious mitigation efforts from developed country parties; the Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture and food security; and means of implementation.

 

Africa’s Special Needs and Special Circumstances

 

As mandated by the African Union through the Committee of African Heads of State on Climate Change (CAHOSCC) at the 36^th African Union Summit held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in February, 2023, the AGN Lead Coordinators deliberated on, and agreed to take forward the agenda on Africa’s Special Needs and Special Circumstances—a continent which is the least contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions (less than 4%) and yet the most adversely impacted region, as reaffirmed by latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports.

 

According to the IPCC, Africa is already experiencing severe and widespread impacts of climate change, causing devastation to lives, livelihoods and the continent's development trajectory.

 

“At the 36^th session of the Au Summit in February, 2023, the AU Heads of State Assembly gave guidance on a number of issues, including urging the AGN to continue collaborating with other stakeholders, including the COP28 Presidency on Africa’s special needs and special circumstances agenda. So, we will continue pursuing this agenda item as guided by our leaders in the interest of the continent’s development aspirations in relation to climate action,” Shitima said.  

 

Climate Finance and reform of the financial architecture

 

The question on climate finance is as old as the climate negotiations. Still, the AGN team is determined to ensure this agenda item is  given the prominence it deserves, particularly for developed countries to deliver on their climate finance pledges. The key ask is for developed countries to provide predictable and accessible funding for climate action on affordable and reasonable terms that do not further worsen the debt crisis that most developing countries are already dealing with.

 

Adaptation (GGA)

 

Adaptation to the impacts of climate change remains one of the key challenges that Africa is facing. Therefore, adaptation remains a key priority as people, infrastructure and ecosystems on the continent continue to experience climate shocks and economic distress.

The latest science by the IPCC reveals that Africa will need up to 86.5 billion USD for adaptation alone by 2030. In view of the foregoing, the AGN is seeking a clear and traceable delivery mechanism for the doubling of adaptation finance, a commitment made by developed countries in Glasgow in 2021, to avoid the mystery of the 100 billion USD per year, which has haunted negotiations since 2009.

Additionally, the weak outcome at COP27 on adaptation, largely due to developed countries’ unwillingness to take the matter seriously, has remained a concern to the AGN. The group is therefore seeking for seriousness on this matter and agreed to continue pushing for science-based indicators, targets and metrics within the agreed framework.

Mitigation

Notwithstanding the concentration on adaptation, the AGN’s call on developed countries to take their leadership role in climate action seriously by urgently scaling up mitigation ambition and implementation during this critical decade, to keep the 1.5-degree Celsius temperature goal alive. The group’s emphasis is also on the importance of support to implement conditional components of African countries and other developing countries' NDCs to enable them effectively contribute, as well as the call for countries to increase the share of renewable and low emission energy sources in their energy mix and scale-up renewable energy investments in particular to address the energy access challenges of many countries in Africa.

 

Just Transitions

In deliberating on Africa’s special needs and circumstances, the AGN Lead Coordinators also spotlighted the continent’s energy poverty, with latest statistics showing over 600 million people having no access to electricity and 900 million people with no access to clean cooking.

This is in addition to other development challenges that Africa faces requiring the continent to fully exploit its natural resources. With a heightened global campaign for countries to transition to clean and green energy sources, Africa will thus require support for Just energy transition that ensures resources and technologies are made available to enable the continent achieve climate, energy and development goals.

“Our argument is that reducing emissions should not be at the expense of Africa’s development but at a pace and scale affordable to African countries. The work programme should facilitate ambitious and equitable climate actions, recognising different starting points of countries and nationally defined development priorities of developing countries, different pathways and national circumstances and the importance of the social and economic components of the transition,” said AGN Chair.  

Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture and food security

In the context of the climate crisis in Africa, agriculture is seen as an important agenda item in view of the continent’s food insecurity, said to be worsened by climate change vagaries. In view of the foregoing, Africa cannot afford to slumber on the importance of making agriculture resilient to climate change.

Given its importance to most African countries’ food security and economic transformation, the AGN has firmly set its agenda on ensuring clear action matrix of the the four-year Sharm el-Sheikh joint work on implementation of climate action on agriculture and food security.

Period poverty in Ghana: impregnated and infected with HIV at age 12 for want of sanitary pad

These are no tell-tales. These are real stories of girls and women exposed to sexual abuse and exploitation due to what has become known as 'period poverty' in parts of Africa.

 

Afia’s mother got sick when she was 12 years old. She had to move in to live with her aunty at Techiman in the Bono East region of Ghana where she was enrolled in a school.

 

It was at the school she first had her menses, something she lacked knowledge about. She soiled her uniform and boys in her class made fun of her.

 

When Afia got home and informed her aunty of her experience, she was emotionally abused and received no support; neither education on her menstrual cycle nor access to sanitary pad.

 

She resorted to using toilet roll and went back to school after two weeks.

 

During her second menstruation, she soiled her dress again. This time, a man in his 30s saw her in her state of distress and invited her home to wash down.

 

“I saw him as a father figure in the community and saw no harm in following him,” said Afia.

 

The man assured her of his support to provide her with sanitary pads every month, in addition to a daily stipend of Gh1.50. But this was a bait.

 

Afia needed to become his girlfriend as a condition for the provision of sanitary pads when it’s that time of the month.

 

“At that time I was very young and didn’t know anything,” she said. “He told me he likes me and will be buying me more pads and he will be giving me money to school and would increase the money to 3 cedis if I become his girlfriend,” she narrated.

 

Defiled and shattered

 

Afia agreed to the man’s proposal to come out of the shame she had to endure anytime she was in her menses.

 

 

She was defiled and later got pregnant at age 14. During antenatal, she was tested HIV positive.

 

Her aunty was least interested in her affairs. The man denied any responsibility when Afia’s mother confronted him.

 

“At that time I ignored my mum. I told her it’s her fault. Why did she get sick for me to go there for something like this to happen to me?” a teary Afia retorted.

 

This drove her to almost commit suicide.

 

“In my mind I said I was not going to take the [anti-retroviral] drugs. I will just wait for death to come and take me,” she said. “I only took the medicine so I will give birth for the baby to be healthy, but in my 9th month when I went to the hospital I was told I lost the baby in my womb”.

 

Unfortunately, such cases of abuse and defilement are not reported for appropriate redress.

 

Afia, now 19years, could not further her education after completing junior high school.

 

She believes she would not have fallen prey and suffered such an ordeal if she could access a sanitary pad at her tender age.

 

“I had a dream to achieve; I wanted to become a journalist and an author of books. If I had the opportunity to be in school, my life would be far better than it is today,” she sobbed.

 

Hazardous menstrual care

 

There are tales of girls folding newspapers to absorb blood during menstruation. Some tear their exercise books for the purpose and others use polythene bags.

 

In other instances, girls use their socks, polythene bags, leaves and paracetamol to control their menstrual flow.

 

These are some of the untold stories of girls who cannot access sanitary pads.

 

“These girls are from poor homes and so cannot afford the cost of sanitary pads. This is why we ask the government to subsidize the price of sanitary pads,” said Josephine Kwarteng, Girls Coordinator at the Ghana Education Service in the Amansie Central District.

 

May 28 is World Menstrual Hygiene Day, commemorated with the objective of combating period poverty – a state of girls’ inability to afford sanitary pads at that time of the month.

 

Individuals, groups and institutions are encouraged to spearhead the free distribution of sanitary pads to girls in deprived communities.

 

The compassionate exercise is to help end period poverty and its associated challenges of infections, reduced school hours, stigma and abuse of dignity.

 

By Kofi Adu Domfeh

Climate change: African parliamentarians asked to take keen interest in Global Stocktake

The Global Stocktake (GST) is a critical turning point in efforts to address climate change, says Ephraim Mwepya Shitima, Chair of the African Group of Negotiators on Climate Change (AGN).

He has therefore called on African Parliamentarians to take keen interest in the GST process and its outcome as it enables countries and other stakeholders to assess their collective progress towards meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement.

Speaking at the Pan-African Parliamentarians Summit on Climate Policy and Equity in Midrand, South Africa, Shitima said the GST aims to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change, in the context of sustainable development and efforts to eradicate poverty.

He reiterated the AGN’s call against inherent bias in favour of mitigation at the expense of adaptation.

“As Africa, we expect the GST to be comprehensive by assessing collective progress towards all the goals and not focusing on one or two,” said Shitima. “The outcome must be corrective—how to address the identified gaps and ensure implementation. The inherent bias in favour of mitigation ought to be rectified while the needs of adaptation and recognition of adaptation actions as part of the contribution of Parties towards the global effort should be accorded sufficient attention.”

The global stocktake, as enshrined in Article 14 of the Paris Agreement, is a process for taking stock of the implementation of the Paris Agreement with the aim to assess the world’s collective progress towards achieving the purpose of the agreement and its long-term goals.

The first stocktake got underway at the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow in November, 2021 and is expected to conclude at COP28. Each stocktake is a two-year process that happens every five years.

In addition to his call for African Parliamentarians to actively get involved in the GST process, the AGN Chair also highlighted the climate financing and adaptation gaps as revealed by various reports including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report (AR6).

“The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP’s) Adaptation Gap Report 2022: Too Little, Too Slow – Climate adaptation failure puts world at risk finds that the world must urgently increase efforts to adapt to impacts of climate change. Implementation of adaptation actions are concentrated in agriculture, water, ecosystems- with health and education still remaining underfunded. However, without a step change in support, adaptation actions could be outstripped by accelerating climate risks, which would further widen the adaptation implementation gap,” said Shitima.

He further lamented the poor provision of climate information in Africa, which is hindered by limited availability of weather and climate data, adding that existing weather infrastructure is insufficient for development of reliable climate information and early warning systems.

“For example, only 10% of ground-based observation networks are in Africa - the remaining 90% are outside Africa -, and that 54% of Africa’s surface weather stations cannot capture data accurately,” he said.

Without belabouring the point, adaptation finance is inadequate to meet growing needs of African countries as access to adequate financial resources is crucial for climate change adaptation.

“UNEP estimates adaptation costs for Africa to be, from USD 20–50 billion per year by 2050 at 1.5℃ to USD 100–437 billion per year at 4℃ of global warming above pre-industrial levels. However, adaptation finance flows to developing countries are 5-10 times below estimated needs and the gap is widening,” lamented the AGN Chair.

Meanwhile, the Executive Director of the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA), Mithika Mwenda, said the African continent was already living in a critical moment as a result of climate change.

“The Sixth synthesis report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released on 23rd March this year confirmed human-induced global warming is already causing widespread and irreversible impacts on our natural and human systems, and these impacts will only worsen with further warning," said Mithika.