Ahead of COP29, African climate negotiators make case for scaling climate innovations
The annual pre-COP and strategy meetings of the African Group of Negotiators Experts Support (AGNES) are essential for shaping Africa's position before important negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
The African Group of Negotiators Experts Support (AGNES) organizes strategy meetings before the UNFCCC Subsidiary Body (SB) sessions to harmonize African priorities with global climate objectives. These meetings provide a platform for negotiators, policymakers, and experts to address key issues and devise unified strategies.
This year, AGNES hosted the meeting in Nairobi from the 23rd to the 27th of September in collaboration with the Government of Kenya, African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), the Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT (The Alliance hereafter) and Accelerating Impacts of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa (AICCRA) among other key partners.
The Honorable Moses Kajwang, Kenyan parliamentary senator for the Homa Bay constituency, opened the event:
“We organized an inaugural Africa climate summit two years ago and took the African position. What is coming out strongly from the African position is re-engineering the global financial architecture regarding climate finance. This workshop will enhance brainstorming as different countries share their experiences.”
Shaping Africa’s climate negotiation strategy
COP29 is an opportunity to accelerate global efforts to tackle the climate crisis. It aims to build on previous successes and set the stage for future climate ambitions. The conference also known as the 'Finance COP' will focus on various climate-related issues, including setting a new collective and quantified goal on climate finance, defining details for carbon markets, and reviewing progress in refining indicators for the Global Goal on Adaptation, among others.
To prepare for the negotiations, the pre-COP29 strategy meeting focused on:
- Strengthening the capacity to implement practical solutions that enhance community resilience against climate shock, through innovations that mitigate climate vulnerabilities
- Raising awareness among Least Developed Countries (LDCs) negotiators about the latest evidence on Transboundary Climate and Adaptation Risks (TCARs) and their inclusion in international policy dialogues
- Emphasizing the importance of mapping indicators for the GGA to ensure that they capture critical adaptation needs and priorities, along with reviewing various options for the negotiations on the NCQG for climate finance
- Supporting the Parliamentarians’ Bureau to develop a framework of engagement and a Roadmap of their activities, as parliaments play a very crucial role in the implementation of climate action at the national level through enacting laws that promote renewable energy, energy efficiency, and carbon reduction target, allocating funds for climate mitigation and adaptation projects among others
- Establishing a unified African position for COP29
Negotiators at the AGNES pre-COP29 strategy meeting workshop. (Photo credit: AICCRA/Esther Nzuki)
Building the capacity of negotiators
Leveraging CGIAR scientific research, researchers from AICCRA showcased various tools and approaches to scaling climate innovations that drive resilience of communities against current and future climate shocks as indicated on the figure below.
The concept of ‘climate rationale’, for example, positions Africa strategically for COP29 by equipping negotiators with data-driven tools to demonstrate the specific climate-related risks and adaptation needs. Tools like Discover Solutions, Estimate Economic Returns, and the CRISP model enable African nations to present evidence-based arguments for climate finance, highlighting the urgent necessity of adaptation measures.
Meanwhile, Climate-Smart Agriculture Investment Planning (CSAIP) frameworks offer structured support to mobilizing resources in Africa. CSAIP provides a roadmap for integrating climate-smart practices into agricultural development.
Developed through a highly engaged stakeholder consultation process, the CSAIPs identify, assess, and prioritize a list of best-bet CSA investments. The CSAIPs result in a nationally supported and scientifically screened investment portfolio targeted towards tapping into financial opportunities from the private sector actors, public institutions, international donors, and other key stakeholders who aim to transform the agriculture sector.
Lastly, effective monitoring and evaluation of climate adaptation action being implemented and their results is vital for understanding the progress, offering information to strengthen and improve further adaptation options.
“To effectively measure progress in adaptation at local, national, and global scales, we must address key prerequisites for building robust monitoring, evaluation, and learning systems. Beyond just focusing on indicators, it's crucial to align these systems with clearly defined adaptation impact pathways. This also involves assessing the human and financial capacities needed to track adaptation effectively, fostering collaboration, and establishing partnerships that ensure a smooth flow of data and information.”
Dr. Lucy Njuguna, Post-doctoral Fellow, The Alliance and AICCRA
The AGNES pre-COP workshop was a critical milestone in the journey towards COP29 for Africa’s climate negotiators. With Africa’s exposure to climate risk becoming more pronounced each year, African nations must go to COP29 with a unified voice.
The focus on climate finance at COP29 signals the growing demand from developing countries for a more equitable financial framework to address the climate crisis and ensure that the voices of those most affected by climate change from the Least Developed Countries (LDC) are heard.
The Alliance team showcases different approaches or tools for scaling climate innovations. (Photo credit: AICCRA/Esther Nzuki)
Strengthening the capacity of African negotiators to prioritize adaptation strategies will enable African countries to cope with the inevitable impacts of climate change, which is vital to get the breakthroughs that could secure more finance for validated climate adaptation solutions so that they can be scaled to reach millions of Africa’s smallholder farmers.
Authors
Esther Nzuki, Communication Analyst, Climate Action, Alliance of Bioversity International
Lucy Njuguna, Post-doctoral fellow, Climate Action, Alliance of Bioversity International
Read more on the strategy workshop from AGNES: African Negotiators Co-create a Common Position for Africa during the Pre-Cop ahead of the COP29 Meeting
