COP31: African trade unions and climate negotiators unite in Nairobi to demand a worker-centered Just Transition

African trade union leaders and climate negotiators have converged in Nairobi, Kenya for a three-day summit to forge a unified continental stance on energy sovereignty and green industrialization ahead of the COP31 climate negotiations.

 

The Second New Energy for Africa Convening meeting marks a critical step in ensuring that the voices of African workers are integrated into the continent’s climate agenda.

 

Opening the event, Rose Omamo, Deputy President of ITUC-Africa, emphasized that the transition to a low-carbon economy must be rooted in social equity.

 

She asserted that the labor movement is championing the "Reclaim and Restore" campaign, which views energy not as a market commodity but as a fundamental right.

 

“Energy is a public good,” Omamo stated during her opening address. “It should not be treated only as a commodity for those who can afford it. We call for public and democratic control of Africa’s energy systems so that they can provide reliable and affordable energy to our people”.

 

Omamo also raised concerns regarding the global race for Africa’s critical minerals, such as lithium and cobalt, which are essential for renewable technologies.

 

She warned that “Africa must not repeat the experience of exporting raw materials and later importing expensive finished products” and insisted that these resources must support local manufacturing and decent employment.

 

Echoing these sentiments, Dr. George Manful, delivering remarks on behalf of AGN Chair, Dr. Nana Antwi-Boasiako Amoah, highlighted the stark disparity in global climate finance.

 

Despite possessing vast renewable energy potential, Africa receives a disproportionately small share of clean-energy investment.

 

“This imbalance must be corrected if the transition is to support Africa’s development rather than reproduce existing patterns of dependence, extraction and inequality,” the AGN Chair’s statement read.

 

He further argued that the success of a just transition should be measured by human impact rather than technical metrics alone.

 

“A just transition cannot be measured solely by installed megawatts, emissions reductions or new electricity connections,” the Chair noted. “It must also be measured by the quality of jobs created, affordability of energy, protection of workers... and the capacity of African countries to retain value from their natural resources”.

 

A primary objective of the Nairobi gathering is to institutionalize cooperation between organized labor and the African Group of Negotiators (AGN). This collaboration aims to ensure that workers’ rights, job security, and social protection are embedded in the African negotiating text for COP31 in Antalya.

 

With over 600 million Africans still lacking access to electricity, both leaders agreed that initiatives like "Mission 300" must go beyond mere connection numbers to foster local industrialization and skills development.

 

“Workers must be at the centre of the energy transition,” Omamo concluded. “They cannot be treated as observers or invited only after policies and investment decisions have been finalised”.

 

By Kofi Adu Domfeh

United Nations climate negotiations recommence in Bonn, Germany

Delegates to the UN climate treaty have gathered in Bonn, Germany for the first time since adopting the Paris Agreement during a landmark political moment in the French capital last December.

The political momentum which delivered the agreement in Paris also catalysed the signatures of 177 countries at an Earth Day signing ceremony in New York this year.

Attention is now turning to preparing for implementation as countries meet for the first time as the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Paris Agreement (APA) to prepare draft decisions on all the issues in the Paris Agreement which need to be fleshed out further.

The APA will present this draft legislation before the first meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement once the treaty enters into force – which happens once 55 countries covering 55% of global emissions or more have ratified the Agreement. This is expected to occur sooner than 2020.

In addition to questions of policy and ratification, observers can expect some procedural jostling for position in Bonn as countries elect the co-chairs for the APA and begin work on its agenda.

"Post-Paris, climate scientists, political leaders, and civil society groups all agree that the world needs a rapid energy transformation. One example at a regional level is the African Renewable Energy Initiative, which has already seen $10 billion dollars pledged to it. A critical objective going forward is to take this initiative global with renewable energy for the whole world. Looking forward to Marrakech, the Moroccan Presidency has an opportunity to continue to advance Africa's leadership by making COP22 deliver a real world renewable energy outcome for the people," said Asad Rehman, Head of International Climate, Friends of the Earth (EWNI).

Turning the promise of Paris into a reality will involve bridging the "mitigation gap" between climate pledges and the Paris temperature goal; addressing barriers to implementation, including lack of financial, technological, and technical capacity; and equipping communities to plan for and deal with the adverse impacts of climate change.

It will also involve developing strategies and policy mechanisms to ensure adaptation action on the ground; and creating the framework necessary for countries to address economic and non-economic loss and damage arising from climate change.

According to said Azeb Girmai, Climate Lead at LDC Watch, "The Paris Agreement needs to go beyond mere recognition of the huge need for adaptation support and come up with a concrete plan to identify the source and amount of support immediately. Communities on the frontline of impacts from the adverse effects of climate change in Africa still have nothing to celebrate as no new or additional finance has been secured in the new agreement to urgently build their adaptive capacity alongside their on going development efforts".

No going back on legally binding climate agreement - African Groups

As the Lima climate talks grind to a close, African groups  have stressed the urgent need for a legally binding climate agreement to ensure safety for Africa and Africans.

Mohamed Gharib Bilal, Vice President of Tanzania and Coordinator of the Committee of the African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC) disclosed this during the "Africa day event" at the sidelines of the Lima climate conference.

"Africa needs a legally binding climate agreement that places issues of adaptation, finance and technology transfer at the forefront and we will never go back on this," Vice President Bilal remarked.

Nagmeldin El Hassan, Chair, African Group, while briefing on some outstanding issues in the negotiations noted that the Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) clearly identifies Africa’s climate-related vulnerabilities.

He highlighted that gaps in parties’ current commitments are a source of concern as they fall far short of the requirement to “keep Africa safe” in a 2°C world. "Africa’s concerns have been enhanced by developed countries’ focus on mitigation and voluntary Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs)" he said.

The Africa Day at COP 20, which was organised by the African Union Commission (AUC), United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and African Development Bank (AfDB), in collaboration with the Governments of Tanzania and Mozambique provided a platform and opportunity to critically examine the implications of the post-2015 climate change agreement for the continent, and how to enhance the involvement of women and youth in climate change adaptation. 

In line with the focus on Africa, Fatima Denton, Director of Special Initiatives, UN Economic Commission for Africa, highlighted the green development vision articulated by African leaders in the last decade, citing the Clim-Dev Africa Programme as an African-led process to strengthen the knowledge base for climate-smart development and disseminate it at community level. She asserted that the fight against climate change can be won through bankable projects.

Recalling her experience as one of two African ministers in Bali who “forced their way” into the closed contact group working on a compromise agreement, Jessica Eriyo, Deputy Secretary General, East African Community stated that climate change is a human-rights issue because it affects the livelihoods of Africans, she urged negotiators "to remain firm and work as a team to ensure that the Lima outcome reflects their concerns."

Tosi Mpanu Mpanu, Alternate Green Climate Fund (GCF) Board Member for the Democratic Republic of Congo, noted that a key objective of the GCF is to “level the playing field” in the climate finance landscape, saying that half of the US$10 billion GCF funding has been earmarked for adaptation activities, with a priority for Africa and Small Island Developing States.

Among other opportunities for Africa, he highlighted, inter alia: equal representation for GCF Board Members from developing countries; the strong focus on direct access and country ownership; a fast track option for implementing entities that are already accredited to other multilateral funding mechanisms; and the GCF-wide gender policy and action plan.

Sam Ogallah of the Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) remarked that African civil society will not relent in its drive to ensure that Africa gets a better climate deal in 2015 and added that "civil society will not hesitate to name and shame any group or parties that are bent on foisting unfair climate deals on Africa."

During discussions, speakers harped on the need to channel climate investments to the subnational level to ensure full participation of affected communities, promote awareness on workable adaptation strategies for policy makers, and focus on readiness activities to ensure Africa has the requisite policies and projects in place once the GCF becomes fully operational.

Progress in the first week of the UN climate negotiations in Lima

Technical negotiations during the first week of the climate talks in Lima (COP20) have mostly gone smoothly, but important negotiating-team level discussions on a handful of key issues need to conclude this week so that there is wide agreement on the range of options facing the Ministers as they arrive early next week to pick up the high-level negotiations.

Negotiations are focussing in on critical elements including the nature of country pledges for the upcoming Paris agreement, pledges known as intended nationally determined contributions (INDCs). Countries will need clarity on the rules and format for these pledges as they are due to be delivered in the next 3-6 month. One key issue that Ministers must contend is the time period the pledges will cover.

“The timeframe issue is our key worry” explains Li Shuo from Greenpeace China. “A short commitment period would do a lot of good things but it hasn’t been discussed in an extensive manner. We learnt from the Kyoto Protocol that an 8-year period makes it very difficult to ratchet measures up as changes take place in the real world.

“In China, for example, things are changing fast, coal consumption is down 1-2% this year. The Marshall Islands have sent a very positive signal, arguing for a 5 year commitment period that can capture the most relevant and fresh circumstances in the real world. Countries will submit their INDCs early next year so we need to make progress over a short-term commitment period here in Lima.”

Discussions about what actions need to be taken to tackle climate change before 2020 have been noticeably absent from the negotiations so far. Although The Paris Agreement is set to be reached in 2015, it won't kick-in until 2020, leaving unaddressed what action countries should take in the six years before then.

Shuo explained, “we are already approaching the end of the week and we are worried that we won’t have enough time to discuss this vital element of a draft Paris agreement. We need to ensure that countries are sufficiently prepared to capture the low hanging fruit. This is about securing short-term actions that countries can take that will form the basis for ongoing climate action.”

Negotiators also need to focus on how a Paris agreement would help countries affected by climate change adapt to the challenges that they face. A new UNEP report shows reveals that the cost of this adaptation could reach $150 billion by 2030, underlining how vitally important this aspect is.

“We believe there won’t be agreement in Paris if adaptation is not included in the draft of the agreement - most countries asking for it. Fortunately the talks are going smoothly and we are making progress on this issue”, said Tania Guillén from Centro Humboldt Nicaragua/SUSWATCH.

When ministers arrive for the high level negotiations next week will have to decide whether the current structure of the draft Paris agreement provides those suffering from climate impacts that are “locked-in” with enough support or whether a new mechanism needs to be established to compensate for loss and damage.

Many delegations are seeking for a clear pathway to ramp up financial and technological support. “We think that $10 billion already pledged by rich nations is not enough for vulnerable countries to deal with the impacts of climate change”, said Guillén.

Ministers also need to discuss the option of having an adaptation goal, an idea that really needs fleshing out. “They have to decide whether this will be part of the new agreement and whether it will be part of the INDCs. If adaptation is included within national climate action plans it will help to reinforce this vital pillar of the entire convention”.

With so much to do and, clearly, so much at stake, we are expecting a late night at the UN climate negotiations here in Lima.

On the side lines

Norway has announced that it has doubled its pledge to the Green Climate Fund to approximately $230 million bringing the fund slightly closer to the lower end of the unofficial $10-15 billion target range.

However, Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop announced that Australia will not contribute to the Green Climate Fund.

Germany has approved a new plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions to help meet its 2020 targets. Hidden in the fine print is an impressive CO2 reduction goal for the energy sector, adding up to an impressive 93 million tonnes that the energy sector is required to cut before 2020. 

The chief negotiator for China, Su Wei, has announced that China favours a ten-year commitment period for the climate agreement to be signed by the countries in Paris in a year's time.