African civil society denounces Trump’s “Climate Hoax” remarks as dangerous and irresponsible

The Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) has described as “reckless” remarks made by US President Donald Trump at the United Nations General Assembly, where he dismissed climate change as the “greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world”.

Trump called the carbon footprint “a hoax”. 

But PACJA, the umbrella body of Africa CSOs on climate change, says such statements are scientifically false and morally indefensible.

“For millions of Africans, climate change is not a debate. It is a daily reality,” said Dr. Mithika Mwenda, Executive Director of PACJA. “From prolonged droughts in the Horn of Africa, to deadly cyclones in Mozambique, to unprecedented floods displacing communities in West Africa, the crisis is exacting a devastating toll. Africa contributes the least to global emissions yet bears the brunt of its impacts. When powerful leaders mock the climate emergency, they undermine the global solidarity urgently needed to save lives and livelihoods”. 

According to PACJA, Trump’s rhetoric emboldens climate denial, delays global action, and distracts from the responsibility of industrialized nations to lead in reducing emissions.

“The science is clear: without decisive mitigation, Africa faces a future of deepening hunger, water stress, conflict over scarce resources, and forced migration. Denying this reality is an insult to the children who go to bed hungry after crops fail, to the women walking longer distances for water, and to the young Africans whose futures are shrinking under the weight of an unjust crisis,” said a statement from Dr. Mwenda. 

PACJA calls on all responsible leaders to reject climate denialism in every form, emphasizing that the global community cannot afford to treat science as opinion or justice as optional.

“We remind world leaders that the Paris Agreement was not built on ideology, but on evidence and fairness. Its survival depends on recognizing that addressing climate change is not charity, it is justice. 

“We urge the United Nations, governments, and civil society worldwide to reaffirm their commitment to climate action, to stand with vulnerable communities, and to expose rhetoric that risks the lives of billions. It is our collective duty to uphold and amplify the truth: that climate change is real, urgent, and inseparable from the struggle for justice and survival,” said PACJA.

The group says members will continue to mobilise African voices to ensure that no amount of rhetoric, no matter how powerful the speaker, derails the urgent task of protecting lives, ecosystems, and the future of our planet. 

By Kofi Adu Domfeh

COP29: Why Climate Finance is top priority for Africa

Another round of climate change talks is here again at Baku, Azerbaijan, to address the rampant climate crisis.

 

“This crisis is affecting every single individual in the world in one way or another,” acknowledged Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of UN Climate Change at the opening of COP29.  

 

The 29^th Conference of Parties (COP29) in the climate change negotiations has been dubbed the “Climate Finance COP” as a new climate finance target is sought to help developing countries overcome their vulnerabilities to the climate crisis.

 

“We must agree a new global climate finance goal,” said Simon. “If at least two thirds of the world's nations cannot afford to cut emissions quickly, then every nation pays a brutal price”.  

 

Civil society organizations like 350.org are making it clear that fair, equitable finance is the bridge to climate action.

 

At COP29, they are demanding countries pledge to an ambitious climate finance goal, or New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) of at least $1 trillion, which must be in the form of grants and based on the financial, climate and social needs of the Global South. 

 

Countries are also to agree to put forward climate goals – Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) – in line with fairly tripling renewable energy capacity and phasing out fossil fuels by 2030.

 

According to Simon Stiell, if nations can’t build resilience into supply chains, the entire global economy will be brought to its knees, emphasizing that “no country is immune”. 

  

“Let's dispense with any idea that climate finance is charity. An ambitious new climate finance goal is entirely in the self-interest of every nation, including the largest and wealthiest,” he noted. 

 

There is also an expected acceleration of the shift to clean-energy and climate-resilience.

 

African CSOs posture  

 

African Civil Society leaders are urging a focus on the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) to achieve substantial and equitable financing solutions for climate action.

 

Under the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA), the CSOs highlighted the urgent need for global commitments on adaptation, just transition, critical minerals, mitigation, and transparency in carbon markets.

 

“We call for the establishment of an ambitious sub-goal for adaptation finance that prioritizes public, grant-based support for developing countries, responding to needs outlined in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), and other national plans,” reads the statement.

 

Dr. Mithika Mwenda, Executive Director of PACJA, emphasized that COP29’s NCQG negotiations must address Africa's pressing adaptation needs as well as Loss and Damage.

 

“If the NCQG fails to consider the adaptation needs of vulnerable populations, COP29 will not meet the threshold to be a genuine Climate Finance COP,” he stated.

 

The adaptation finance gap for developing nations remains significant – currently 10 to 18 times greater than actual international financial flows, which amount to approximately USD 20 billion per year. This falls well short of the estimated USD 166-366 billion needed annually to meet adaptation demands.

 

Prof. Seth Osafo, Senior Legal Advisor at the African Group of Negotiators (AGN) said it’s had to talk about the NCQG leaving behind considerations of other dimensions.

 

“We must reimagine the quality of finance, moving beyond debt-based approaches—currently at 72%—to include concessional loans, grants, and innovative financing mechanisms. Additionally, funding must be accessible, predictable, and structured to prioritize essential sub-goals, including Loss and Damage, while aligning on whether a single-layer or multi-layer approach best serves the mobilization and provision of funds,” Prof Osafo stated.



As the COP29 discussions begin, African Civil Society wants world leaders to prioritize issues that meet the urgent needs of African communities on the frontlines of climate change. 

 

by Kofi Adu Domfeh

 

COP28: AGN assures protection of Africa’s interests in the newly operationalized Loss and Damage Fund

The African Group of Negotiators on Climate Change (AGN) has assured the African civil society of its commitment to protecting Africa’s interests in the newly operationalized Loss and Damage Fund. 

 

AGN Chair, Ephraim Mwepya Shitima, says the group, through its representatives in the Transitional Committee on the Loss and Damage Fund, ensured that important safeguards were put in place to avoid lengthy and unnecessary bureaucratic processes that would hinder access.

 

He was briefing the civil society groups at the on-going United Nations Climate summit (COP28) in Dubai, UAE.

 

Shitima responded to concerns by civil society groups that hosting the Fund at the World Bank would create access and other bureaucratic barriers for countries from the global south.

 

“We reluctantly agreed to the hosting arrangements to expedite its operationalization. If we insisted on the creation of a standalone fund, it would have taken us another three years to have it operationalized. But even as the case is, there are safeguards that have been put in place. We have some clauses that would allow the fund to be taken away from the World Bank if certain conditions as agreed are not met,” he said.

 

In a historic moment, the draft decision on the Loss and Damage Fund was adopted during the opening plenary of COP28, effectively operationalizing the Fund.

 

The Loss and Damage Fund was agreed on at COP27 held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. The modalities for the operationalization were discussed and agreed by the Transitional Committee (TC) which was constituted.

 

Loss and Damage is essential even if the world meets climate mitigation goals because a “locked-in” level of warming already impacts particularly vulnerable communities being hit by extreme weather events, such as storms and floods, reduced agricultural productivity, and rising sea levels among others.

 

However, African civil society led by the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) is concerned that the Fund will be hosted by the World Bank.

 

“Even as we welcome the operationalization of the fund, we are concerned that it will be hosted by an institution with historical access challenges for countries from the global south,” said Mithika Mwenda, PACJA Executive Director.

 

“We hope it will not be another of some existing funds that do not save the interest of the global south counties especially those in Africa,” he added.

 

 

Africa Climate Summit: Non-State Actors’ Committee welcomes Nairobi Declaration, calls on further action areas

The Nairobi Declaration of the Africa Climate Summit by Heads of States has been welcomed by the Non-State Actors' Committee (NSAC), describing the outcome as a positive step towards a more ambitious, fair, equitable, ecologically just and inclusive global response to the climate crisis.  

The Committee, supported by the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) strives for the advancement of a pro-African agenda in all key climate spaces.

Below is the submission of the Committee:

We recognise the pressing need for the global community to decrease emissions, decarbonise economies and align with the Paris Agreement, and appreciate the Declaration for reaffirming the principles of common but differentiated responsibilities and equity, which are vital for a just and efficient global response. 

We also commend the Declaration for acknowledging the problem of loss and damage caused by climate change, which is already affecting several African communities. We urge the international community to put into effect the Loss and Damage Facility established during COP27 and to provide sufficient and consistent assistance to the countries and individuals who are most vulnerable. 

As NSAs, we strongly support the Declaration's call for investing in public finance for green economic development. We equally reiterate our unequivocal support for reforming the global financial architecture to address African countries' challenges, especially climate finance. Particularly, we welcome proposals for debt relief, concessional finance, and innovative financial mechanisms, and endorse the Bridgetown Process, which aims to align finance with sustainable development goals and human rights – all in a sense, signalling the acknowledgement of the imperatives of climate justice!

We appreciate the recognition of the critical importance of reversing biodiversity loss and explicit commitments made to protect and enhance nature and biodiversity, and to halt and reverse the loss of biodiversity, as well as restoration of degraded lands. 

However, we are still concerned that the Summit missed an opportunity to have a strong African position that established the route to addressing the climate crisis. 

We express our disappointment that the Declaration does not prioritize adaptation as a critical concern for Africa and leaves it a mere peripheral issue. We would like to remind the Heads of States that adaptation is not only crucial for survival but also a matter of justice. Africa is one of the regions that are most affected by climate change, even though it contributes the least to its causes. Therefore, we urge the authorities to accord equal attention and resources to both adaptation and mitigation in their national and international actions. Additionally, we demand that adaptation strategies are designed based on local knowledge, needs, capacities, and human rights principles. 

We are also concerned that the Declaration does not adequately address the emotive issue of just transition, which is crucial for ensuring that no one is left behind in the shift to a low-carbon economy. We note that the Declaration only mentions just transition once without any details or commitments on how we should define it in our own narratives and perspectives, and how it will be implemented. 

To this end, the NSAC urges Heads of State to adopt a more comprehensive and inclusive approach to just transition that is contextual and responsive to African realities, aspirations, and desires, and will discourage experimentation on false solutions that exacerbate the climate crisis. This approach involves the meaningful participation of workers, communities, civil society, and other stakeholders in planning and implementing policies that promote decent work, social protection, human rights, gender equality, and environmental justice. Such an approach should also ensure the vast resources driving the transition, including wind, solar and geothermal, as well as critical minerals spread across the continent, restore hope to the people who have known such resources to be the source of pain, conflict and misery.  

Curiously, also, the Summit did not pronounce itself on how African leaders will collectively work together to exert pressure on developed countries to deliver on the financial commitments previously made by the historical emitters. The failure to advance for framework for pushing for a funding mechanism to fund some of the critical climate-related interventions that protect those most affected by inequality and discrimination who are often children, youth and women, was another waterloo for the Summit’s Declaration.

The propagation and political advancement for implementation of the carbon market with no clear evidence that it works remains one of the bold posters of the Global North attempting to advance approaches that exonerate them and transfer the burden of action to the victims of their actions. 

Right at the onset, the Summit exonerated the rich countries from taking full responsibility for their historical and current emissions that have taken us to the current state of global warming.

We are disappointed the Declaration's Call to Action does not reflect this recognition of the value of nature and biodiversity. Consequently, the NSAC urges the Heads of State to include more specific actions and targets in their national and regional plans and policies for biodiversity conservation and restoration. Additionally, the NSAC calls on them to ensure that they integrate nature-based solutions into their mitigation and adaptation strategies. 

As we head to COP28, NSAC insists:

1.     Developed countries fulfil their historical responsibility and provide adequate and predictable finance, technology transfer, and capacity building to support adaptation, mitigation, and loss and damage in Africa. We are much more keen to collaborate in pushing for grant-based funding mechanisms. 

2.     Reiterate our Position on the rejection of the promotion of Carbon Markets that are not responsive and do not serve the climate justice imperatives for Africa. We further urge for continued dialogue in the spirit of closing knowledge gaps on Carbon Markets that are apparent, at all levels. 

3.     African leaders commit to a just and equitable transition to renewable energy, ensuring that energy access is prioritised for the poor and marginalised and that community ownership and participation are guaranteed.

4.     Urge African leaders to stand by the principles of climate justice, human rights, gender equality, and intergenerational equity in all climate policies and actions

The NSAC is optimistic that this Declaration is a forward step towards accomplishing more ambitious and comprehensive climate action in Africa and globally. The NSAC is fully prepared to collaborate with the Heads of State and other stakeholders in the implementation of the Africa Climate Summit's Declaration and in collectivizing Africa’s position towards COP28. 

Video Report: What the African Climate Summit mean for a warming globe

Africa’s voice on the phenomenon of climate change has been elevated this week in Kenya’s capital city, Nairobi.

 

The UN Africa Climate Week is holding alongside the inaugural Africa Climate Summit under the theme: “Green Growth and Climate Finance for Africa and the World”.

 

On Climate Focus, Kofi Adu Domfeh reports on the commitments to the deliver concrete climate action for Africa. 

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.

 

 

COP28: Africa commits to multi-stakeholder engagements for unified position on climate change

Ahead of the COP28 climate change talks, the African Group of Negotiators on Climate Change (AGN) has committed to multi-stakeholder engagements for the development of Africa’s unified position on its climate change and development aspirations.

AGN Chair, Ephraim Mwepya Shitima, says the African group remains committed to engaging with, and providing technical guidance and support to all stakeholders ranging from political leaders, civil society and other development actors to ensure Africa’s success at climate change negotiations.

Speaking at a Multi-stakeholder consultation and strategy for COP-28 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, he noted the importance of continuous engagements among stakeholders to ensure that Africa remains united and speaking with one voice. 

“As AGN, we take stakeholder engagements and consultations very seriously as they provide us with different views and positions that we have to advance in the negotiations, thereby cementing our legitimacy to speak for the continent,” said Shitima adding that the AGN is “determined to build on the successes we achieved at COP-27 and strengthen areas where we did not do well as we head to COP-28 and will rely on inputs from all stakeholders.”

The AGN Chair also emphasised the group’s desire and strategy to increase the number of women negotiators in support of gender equality and in view of the unanimous agreement that women are on the frontlines of climate change not only in Africa but globally.

“In order to ensure that we grow the AGN and in support of gender equality, we are partnering with UNDP to host a capacity training workshop for young negotiators, focusing mostly on young women. This is important as the strength of any group lies in grooming young people. In view of the importance of gender equality, we have given priority to young female negotiators as it is unanimously agreed that women are on the frontlines fighting climate change impacts. We thus believe that increasing the number of female negotiators adds to our strength as a negotiating block,” said Shitima.

The Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) convened the stakeholders from across Africa to strategise for COP28.

Executive Director of PACJA, Dr. Mithika Mwenda, paid tribute to the AGN for its continued key role in pushing Africa’s agenda in the climate change negotiation process and called on African governments to get actively involved in the technical processes to ensure unity of purpose.

He said PACJA wishes to see a unified approach at both the technical and high-level engagements to ensure that there is no misrepresentation of Africa’s interests and aspirations.

“The Africa Group of Negotiators (AGN) played a key role in the negotiations at COP27; we therefore encourage everyone to be fully involved in the negotiations so as to have a stronger voice in the negotiation rooms. This meeting is therefore important to put in place a strategy to ensure unity of purpose as Africa heads to COP28,” said Dr. Mwenda.

Earlier, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA’s) Director for Technology, Climate Change and Natural Resources management, Jean Paul, highlighted the increasing costs associated with climate change impacts in Africa and the need for an interlinked approach to addressing them.

He said an analysis by UNCEA has revealed that Africa requires in excess of USD 400 billion for climate adaptation by 2030.

“Our approach is to ensure that climate change is not treated as a single development issue but rather be tackled in a systematic and holistic manner—addressing all interlinked issues as they relate to the continent’s development and achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” said Jean Paul.

To ensure a coordinated approach from all stakeholders, PACJA convened the two-day Continental Strategy workshop in Addis Ababa, on the sidelines of the 36^th ordinary Session of the African Union Heads of State and Government Summit.

The meeting, which brought together key stakeholders from public, civil and private sector, was aimed at strategizing and shaping a common framework for the continent’s advocacy and participation at COP-28. The AGN Chair was part of the engagement to highlight the group’s priorities for 2023 to ensure unity of purpose for Africa.

 

COP27: climate change talks ending in anticlimax for Africa?

As they gathered for the international climate change talks in Sharma el-Sheikh, Egypt, known as the African COP, climate activists from the continent anticipated that delegations from the rich countries would make big decisions reflecting the scope and urgency of the climate catastrophe.

 

But even before it has concluded, African civil society organizations have expressed dissatisfaction with the progress and expected outcomes of the 27th Conference of Parties (COP27) of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

 

According to the CSOs under the Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA), COP27 is coming to a conclusion, contrary to what Africa had anticipated, leaving millions of Africans in continued climate-related agony.

 

“We came with the hope that the momentum created by the discussions in the year ahead of COP27 under the facilitation of UNFCCC, the COP Presidency and the facilitation of friends of the COP will materialize with concrete outcomes in Egypt. But unfortunately, the end of COP is an anticlimax,” said Mithika Mwenda, PACJA Executive Director.

 

He indicated that people facing starvation in the Eastern and Horn of Africa because of climate-related droughts, women in Nigerian drowning in floods and those buttered by the cyclones in Southern Africa would continue to wait for signals on action from the international community.

 

“This will continue to delay because decisions on loss and damage have been delayed yet again to 2024,” he said.

 

The lack of obvious connections between yearly plans, activities, and conversations from across continents but without tangible results at every other COP, according to Tracy Sony, a gender specialist from Botswana, is the most urgent cause for concern.

 

“Why should we be meeting every year in these COPs that end up with no substantial outcomes,” she said.

 

Where Africa feels let down

 

The African Group of Negotiators (AGN) has been urging developed countries to deliver on their commitment to meet the goal and ensure progression of efforts in the on-going mobilization of climate finance. 

 

“The African Group expresses continued disappointment that the USD100 billion per year goal by 2020 from developed to developing countries remains unfilled,” said Ephraim Mwepya Shitima.

 

He has also indicated any slightest delay in adaptation action at scale means another set-back to Africa’s hard-won development gains and a stumbling block in Africa’s path to eradicate poverty.

 

Augustine Njamnshi, Chair Political and Technical Committee, PACJA, mentioned some areas where Africans felt let down by the COP27 and said that failure to acknowledge Africa's unique needs and circumstances on the agenda of the COP27 contributed to the slow progress, delays, and, in some cases, the lowering of ambition on issues pertinent to Africa.

 

He pointed out that the COP27 has destroyed the dreams of the African people, potentially highlighting their situation, just as in Glasgow last year, which reduced the bar and delayed urgent actions despite the serious risk of missing the Paris Agreement targets.

 

“After a careful examination of what needs to change to rekindle hope and justify Africa’s continued engagement with the global effort to address the climate crisis, we call on African leaders to reassess the relevance of the UNFCCC and COP processes to the African people and take radical actions to strengthen Africa’s voice and participation,” said Njamnshi.

 

African women feel disappointed by the process and progress at COP27.

 

“The COP was tagged as an implementation COP with its promise on key African issues and had women excited since they are the major implementers of climate action at the grassroots,” Florence Kasule, a climate activist from Uganda said. “However, women feel disappointed by the lack of action on adaptation, loss, and damage, which has meant little action on agriculture upon which the economies of African countries rely on and given that women drive agriculture”.

 

Young African climate activists who stressed the importance of climate justice for the continent's 70% youth population attracted attention at COP27.

 

But Nigeria’s Lucky Abeng observed “Yyoung people have been disadvantaged and look to next year with uncertainty. The COP27 progress has done nothing but punctured the pride of the African youth.”

 

UN Secretary-General outlines last-minute expectations

 

As COP27 draws to a close, the Mitigation work program is yet to reach the desired outcome; adaptation is still held back by procedural matters; ambitious outcomes on finance have not yet materialized; and on loss and damage, parties are shying away from taking the difficult political decisions.

 

In the last minutes of the negotiations, UN Secretary-General has been meeting with COP27 President Sameh Shoukry in Sharm –el-Sheikh.

 

António Guterres is worried parties remain divided on a number of significant issues as COP 27 draws to an end.   

 

“There has been clearly, as in past times, a breakdown in trust between North and South, and between developed and emerging economies,” observed UN Secretary-General. “This is no time for finger pointing. The blame game is a recipe for mutually assured destruction”.   

 

He appealed to all parties to rise to “deliver the kind of meaningful climate action that people and planet so desperately need”. 

 

The UN Secretary-General wants the parties to act in three critical areas. 

 

First, the most effective way to rebuild trust is by finding an ambitious and credible agreement on loss and damage and financial support to developing countries. 

 

“The time for talking on loss and damage finance is over. We need action,” he said.   “We cannot continue to deny climate justice to those who have contributed least to the climate crisis and are getting hurt the most”.  

 

Second, he wants all parties to forcefully address the huge emissions gap. 

 

“Any hope of meeting the 1.5 target requires a step change in emissions reductions.

 

“We cannot close the emissions gap without an acceleration in the deployment of renewables. The Just Energy Transition Partnerships are important pathways to accelerate the phasing out of coal and the scaling up of renewables,” he said.

  

Third, the parties must act on the crucial question of finance, which is delivery of the $100 billion in climate finance for developing countries. 

 

“It means acting on the consensus to reform multilateral development banks and international financial institutions. Their business model needs to change to accept more risk and to systematically leverage private finance for developing countries at reasonable cost for climate action. 

 

“They must provide the support developing countries need to embark on a renewable energy and climate-resilient pathway,” he requested. 

 

Leaders from around the world flocked to the COP venue to show their unwavering support for the international efforts to combat climate change and adapt to its effects, reaffirming their nations' unwavering commitment and increased political will to the issue, and to make pledges and new commitments to strengthen the climate response.

 

“This political will needs to find its way fully to the negotiating rooms,” said COP27 President Sameh Shoukry. “The world is waiting for us to demonstrate the seriousness by which we tackle this matter, and as a community of nations we must live up to their expectations”.

 

By Kofi Adu Domfeh