The African Group of Negotiators on Climate Change has urged international partners to provide increased financing, technology transfer, and capacity-building support to help African countries implement climate empowerment commitments. This call was made ahead of the 31st Conference of the Parties. The group emphasized that climate agreements and national policies would only achieve meaningful results when people and institutions had the knowledge, skills, and resources to translate them into practical action.
A strategic meeting on Action for Climate Empowerment was held in Monrovia, Liberia, to strengthen Africa's priorities and negotiating approach. The meeting brought together climate negotiators, national ACE focal points, and development partners. The Chair of the African Group of Negotiators, Nana Dr Antwi-Boasiako Amoah, highlighted the need for Africa to move beyond recognizing the importance of climate education, public awareness, and participation to ensuring that those commitments produced measurable outcomes at national and community levels.
Dr Amoah noted that climate information was not always available in forms that communities could understand and use. Many institutions responsible for implementing national climate commitments faced financial and technical constraints. Women, young people, persons with disabilities, and vulnerable communities continued to face barriers to meaningful participation in climate decision-making. He emphasized that climate empowerment was not simply about communicating climate change but enabling people to understand risks, influence decisions, and take informed action.
Action for Climate Empowerment, established under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement, covers climate education, training, public awareness, public participation, access to information, and international cooperation. The midterm review of the Glasgow work programme provided an opportunity to strengthen the implementation of ACE commitments. Africa's engagement at COP31 should be informed by the practical experiences of member states and focus on securing support for national implementation.
The future ACE action plan should help countries strengthen institutions, implement existing commitments more effectively, and demonstrate progress in ways that reflected their national circumstances and capacities. Climate empowerment could improve the quality of adaptation planning when women and local communities participated meaningfully in decisions affecting their livelihoods. Accessible scientific information could also help farmers make informed decisions about planting.
Dr Amoah called for stronger coordination between African negotiators and national ACE focal points to ensure a coherent continental position during the negotiations and sustained action afterwards. He emphasized that Africa should use the opportunity presented by COP32, scheduled to take place on the continent, to demonstrate its leadership in connecting climate policy with the needs of its people.
The Chair of the AGN said the real test of climate diplomacy was not only what was negotiated but what countries and communities were subsequently empowered to achieve. The African Group of Negotiators will continue to push for the necessary support to ensure that climate empowerment commitments were implemented effectively. This would enable African countries to address the challenges posed by climate change and promote sustainable development.
Key points
- The African Group of Negotiators calls for increased financing, technology transfer, and capacity-building to implement climate empowerment commitments.
- Climate empowerment can improve the quality of adaptation planning when women and local communities participate meaningfully in decisions affecting their livelihoods.
- Africa should use COP32 to demonstrate leadership in connecting climate policy with the needs of its people.
