close
close

Semainede4jours

Real-time news, timeless knowledge

    • Africa: Baku Briefing – Uncertainty Emerges Over Africa’s Priorities at COP29
    bigrus

    Africa: Baku Briefing – Uncertainty Emerges Over Africa’s Priorities at COP29

    Harry Posted on

    Some participants expressed frustration with the ongoing stalemate on critical issues at COP29, amid perceived insufficient commitments from rich nations and the influence of Donald Trump.

    The ongoing negotiations continue for the second week United Nations Climate Change Summit-COP29It was hosted in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan.

    The top priorities for Africa and the Global South at this year’s conference are surrounded by significant uncertainty as negotiators struggle to finalize deals and define their positions. This uneasiness is further increased due to perceptions of sabotage and disappointments arising from both developed countries and some developing countries.

    During the last nine days of participation at the summit, the parties made some significant progress on important issues such as the Carbon market, energy and food waste prevention. Undoubtedly, the COP29 atmosphere is full of uncertainties and disappointments as delegates/participants await final decisions until the close of the plenary session on Friday, despite all the negativities.

    The pace of progress on critical issues such as the ambitious climate finance agreement, adaptation and just transition is quite negligible.

    While some participants expressed frustration with the ongoing stalemate, others expressed indifference to the Parties’ commitments due to concerns that newly elected US President Donald Trump, a notorious climate denier and fossil fuel enthusiast, would pull back on the US, the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases. He said he stayed. The reintroduction of the Paris agreement when he takes office again next year.

    Similarly, the African Negotiating Group (AGN) expressed frustration with the ongoing process of accusations and counter-accusations about who is and is not blocking progress.

    African Ministers on Tuesday restated an agreement on climate finance; the famous New Collective Quantified Target (NCQG) should be adopted without compromising their needs and those of other developing countries.

    “They reiterated their call for an ambitious, time-bound finance target that is responsive to and commensurate with the assessed needs of developing countries to support the implementation of current and future NDCs and NAPs,” said AGN President Ali Mohamed.

    Africa’s top priorities and enduring concerns

    This year, the COP29 agenda is expected to focus on climate finance, mitigation and adaptation, with the New Collective Quantified Target (NCQG) designed to support vulnerable communities in global climate solutions.

    Last week, Mr Mohamed reiterated that climate finance and adaptation are Africa’s top priorities, alongside other equally important agenda items such as mitigation, carbon markets and Global Stock Exchange (GST).

    But he explained that Africa’s recurring agenda of “special needs and special conditions” continues to be sabotaged by both rich countries and some developing countries.

    “It is unfortunate that Africa’s efforts to establish an agenda item under the Paris Agreement on Africa’s Special Needs and Special Conditions continue to be frustrated by some developing country members,” Mr. Mohamed said.

    “Despite the genuine reasons presented by Africa, which are acceptable to most, some developing country parties that support developed countries in their attempts to weaken the provisions of the Convention have come together to block the request recognized in paragraph 4 (1),” he said. e) Climate Change Convention.”

    In the face of this, Africa will continue to demand the implementation of the Paris Agreement and the Convention, which is the basis of global climate action, the AGN President said.

    “This is not a fragility contest, but an issue related to Africa’s unique economic and development conditions. We hope that the unity of developing countries will not be fractured by the actions of these Parties,” he said.

    In a meeting with the World Health Organization (WHO) team led by Technical Officer for Climate Change and Health Elena Villalobos, the group highlighted how health complicates and worsens the global disease burden and the urgent need to incorporate this into climate processes. global, regional and country level policies.

    AGN took the opportunity to highlight the realities of climate consequences in Africa and the group’s readiness to participate in the health agenda.