In what has been described as a historic moment for Africa, Kenyan political and business leaders on Wednesday adopted the Nairobi Declaration pledging $23 billion to accelerate green growth and mitigation and adaptation efforts in Africa.
The adoption of the landmark climate pact came after extensive three-day deliberations between African leaders and leaders from around the world, who were in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, to rewrite the climate change narrative to include leadership, resources and Africa’s ability to make a sustainable difference globally.
the recently completed African Climate Summit (ACS) it is the first of its kind on the continent. It focuses on delivering climate-positive growth and finance solutions for Africa and the world.
The pact announced on Wednesday and dubbed the “African Leaders’ Nairobi Declaration on Climate Change” further renewed the continent’s leaders’ readiness and commitment to global climate action and sustainable development, infusing it with a distinctive African character.
During a summit engagement, African leaders repeatedly called for collective global action in mobilizing resources for both development and climate action while challenging the global community to honor their commitments, citing the Paris Summit for a New Deal. of Global Financing.
At the summit, led by Ruto and AU Commission Chairman Moussa Faki, the leaders urged development partners to align their technical and financial resources to promote the sustainable use of Africa’s natural assets.
Other dignitaries present at the declaration ceremony included the President of South Sudan, Salva Kiir, Julius Maada (Sierra Leone), Sahle-Work Zewde (Ethiopia), Ismaïl Omar Guelleh (Djibouti), Isaias Afwerki (Eritrea) and Idriss Deby ( Chad) and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Prime Minister Sama Kyenge.
Others included First Lady Rachel Ruto, Vice President Rigathi Gachagua, First Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, Angola Vice President Esperança da Costa, Namibia Vice President Nangolo Mbumba, Commonwealth Secretary General Patricia Scotland, former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo and together with 66 ministers from different countries. the organizers said.
First right, the President of Rwanda and other leaders at the Nairobi Declaration Summit
Announcing the new Africa-led climate change pact on Wednesday, President Ruto said the shared understanding of African leaders became clearer at the summit that “Africa is not just the cradle of humanity, it is its future.” ”.
The Kenyan leader described Africa as the last frontier of untapped potential in the form of hundreds of millions of young men and women who are educated, skilled, motivated, innovative, ready and willing to jumpstart the businesses and industries that will unlock the possibilities promised by its immense endowment of natural assets, mineral resources and green energy potential.
This, he stated, will create opportunity and prosperity for Africa and the world on an unprecedented scale.
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At the Summit, the leaders said they made it clear that they are aware of the unfair configuration of multilateral institutional frameworks that perpetually leave African nations behind, through costly financing that plunges the continent’s economies into a debt trap and it denies them the necessary resources to mitigate and adapt in response to the climate change crisis that threatens lives and livelihoods.
As a continent, African leaders said they have developed their common position outlining their socio-economic transformation ambitions and climate action agenda.
This position, the leaders said, builds on Africa’s potential to decarbonise the global economy and lays the foundation for green industrialization around the world.
African leaders on the presidential day program at the African Climate Summit Key demands
Among several demands brought to the fore and embodied in the declaration document, African leaders demand a level playing field for their countries to access the investment needed to unlock potential and translate it into opportunity.
“We also demand a fair multilateral architecture for financing development, to free our economies from odious debt and onerous barriers to the necessary financial resources,” said Mr. Ruto.
“We are clear in our hearts and minds that the international community must accompany us on this journey towards a future of prosperity and security on a prosperous and ecologically balanced planet.”
African leaders said they are determined to hold tough talks, make tough decisions and make uncomfortable changes, to build an international consensus on a globally inclusive, Afrocentric path to an African future.
For his part, AU Chairman Mr. Faki said the Nairobi declaration had been unanimously endorsed, demonstrating the continent’s desire to mitigate climate change.
“The African Union will draw up a road map for the implementation of this declaration,” he said.
He called on African leaders to continue pressing for climate justice, concrete actions and the fulfillment of commitments.
Faki called for teamwork and unity to ensure Africa’s voice is heard.
African Leaders on Presidential Day Summit Program Youth Inclusion
African leaders argued that the message of the climate pact would not be fulfilled without the vibrant youth that the continent is endowed with.
“In a continent as young as Africa, it is impossible to imagine the future without youth,” said Ruto.
“Our young men and women, in every African country, are the key stakeholders that will define and drive our agenda for green transformation and sustainable opportunities.”
Based on this, the president said that his message will not be clear if the voice of the youth is missing.
“Our efforts to achieve prosperity will not succeed if there are no opportunities for young people. And our journey will be long, hard and in vain if the young people do not come with us, ”she added.
Climate change and concerns for Africa
Over the last decade, extreme weather conditions such as floods, heat waves, droughts, coastal erosion, wildfires, and storms have become more persistent in Africa and around the world.
The consequences of these extreme weather events have caused significant loss of life, livelihoods and biodiversity, and have thrown millions of people into unprecedented hardship in Africa and around the world.
While the prevailing changes of this nature have been attributed to the effects of climate change exacerbated by continued greenhouse gas emissions, Africa’s emissions footprint is only a fraction of global emissions. However, the continent is dealing with the consequences of climate change on an unprecedented scale due to poor climate adaptation and under-funded mitigation.
The consequences of the climate change catastrophe are evident in increased food insecurity, disruptions to ecosystems and economies, displacement and migration of people due to climate shocks, and worsening threat of conflict amid resource waning
According According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) State of the Climate in Africa 2022 report, the rate of temperature increase in Africa has accelerated in recent decades, and weather and climate-related hazards have become more serious.
Meanwhile, the continent barely receives 10 percent of global financing for climate adaptation. According to the report, more than 110 million people on the continent have been directly affected by weather, climate, and water-related hazards by 2022, causing more than $8.5 billion in economic damage.
Additionally, the continent recorded around 5,000 deaths, of which 48 percent were associated with droughts and 43 percent with floods, according to the Emergency Events Database. Reports suggest these figures could be much higher than quoted due to underreporting of the problems.
While the region is plagued by a deficit of infrastructure, technology and financial capacity to respond effectively and efficiently to the climate crisis due to debt overhangs and economic crises, several promises made by world leaders to increase climate finance in Africa have not been fulfilled. fulfilled, which was part of the main reason behind the inaugural ACS Summit 2023 in Kenya ahead of the upcoming 28th edition of the United Nations Conference of Parties (COP28) later this year in the United Arab Emirates Joined.
With the conclusion of the Summit and the announcement of the Nairobi Declaration, the event recorded important milestones and powerful debates.
He emphasized Africa’s willingness to take control of its destiny as a green leader and economic powerhouse, organizers said.
Many climate activists believe that the occasion of the 2023 ACS summit and the adoption of the Nairobi Declaration would mean that the African Group of Negotiators would enter the next COP negotiating table as a united entity. This underlined the continent’s commitment to proactive climate action, paving the way for a more sustainable and prosperous future.