World leaders call: COP26 cannot be a success without a just deal for Africa
Nairobi, Kenya, 26 October 2021 – Hosted by President Uhuru Kenyatta, speaking at the launch of the Global Adaptation Center (GCA)’s “Status and Trends in Adaptation in Africa Report 2021 – How adaptation can make Africa safer, greener and more prosperous in a warming world” (STA21), President Uhuru Kenyatta called on COP26 and development partners to increase resources for the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Programme. (AAAP).
STA21 presents a blueprint for climate adaptation and showcases the opportunities climate adaptation offers to solve previously unsolvable problems and put Africa on a more resilient path towards ‘green growth’.
The report outlines the financial and macroeconomic risks that climate change poses to Africa and the imperative for the continent to scale up adaptation to reduce the economic costs of climate change. Without adaptation, climate change is projected to cost the continent the equivalent of 2% to 4% per year in GDP by 2040, with the poor, women and excluded people bearing the brunt of the impacts. However, the GCA report shows that the benefits of adaptation measures are often more than double or even five times greater than their costs. Moreover, acting quickly to adapt is particularly beneficial, with a benefit-to-cost ratio of at least 12 to 1 for early action.
At the launch event, Ban Ki-moon, the 8th United Nations Secretary-General and GCA Chair, said he supports the African-led and African-owned Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program as a path to mobilizing the promised $100 billion a year in international climate financing balances. He emphasized that AAAP is an important opportunity to realize a resilient and prosperous future for Africa.
“The climate emergency has brought Africa to a crossroads. Business as usual is definitely the path to disruption, but if we adapt, Africa will thrive.”
Patrick Verkooijen commented in his first annual address as GCA CEO:
“Africa will suffer higher GDP losses than most other regions of the world. These impacts can only be mitigated through adaptation. Africa is far from achieving what it needs to adapt today, which has already cost thousands of lives and millions of livelihoods. Glasgow must do its part for Africa, and to do so we must bring more ambition and more funding to help Africa adapt to the pace of the climate emergency that is devastating the continent and increasingly impacting the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people.
Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank Group:
“AAAP presents a unique opportunity for wealthy countries to deliver on their commitments and help Africa address the impacts of climate change. We are optimistic that our partners will provide the $6 billion to $8 billion first round of funding needed for the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program in 2021.”
Patricia Espinosa, Executive Director of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), spoke about the importance of financing for adaptation:
“As with many other issues related to climate change, the key to success in adaptation and resilience is adequate finance. At COP26, we will continue to call for broader and more comprehensive financial support for developing countries. The $100 billion commitment was made in the UNFCCC process more than a decade ago, and the time has come to deliver.”
Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, said:
“The impacts of climate change in Africa threaten people’s livelihoods, jobs, and the significant economic and development gains of the past two decades. As the GCA’s Status and Adaptation Trends Report rightly states, adaptation is necessary and must occur in parallel with poverty reduction and livelihood improvement. African countries need to play their part, and while we have created the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program, they cannot do it alone. COP26 Together with bold action to reduce emissions, the international community must deliver on the commitments made at COP26 to reduce emissions. Climate finance for developing countries must be at least $100 billion a year, and flows for adaptation must match those for mitigation, which is essential to ensure a sustainable global recovery.”
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said:
“In principle, this program aims to scale up and accelerate adaptation here in Africa by providing financial and technical support to African adaptation efforts. This initiative significantly paves the way for the continent to address climate-related challenges. It is important to recognize that effective climate adaptation requires a paradigm shift that harnesses the full potential of science and innovation.”
Ngozi Okongo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organization, said:
“Ensuring the resilience of supply chains can be a key element of Africa’s adaptation strategy. This will require significant efforts to climate-proof key trade-related infrastructure. Initiatives like the WTO’s trade aid could help mobilize investment in climate-resilient infrastructure.”
Félix Tshisekedi, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Chairman of the African Union, said:
“Climate change could wipe out 15 percent of Africa’s gross domestic product by 2030, meaning an additional 100 million people will be pushed into extreme poverty by the end of the decade. This is cruel for a continent that contributes little to global warming. Our solution is to strengthen our capacity to respond and adapt to climate change. That’s why the African Union, together with the Global Center for Adaptation, the African Development Bank and other partners, is supporting Africa’s Adaptation Acceleration Program. ”
The continent’s blueprint for adaptation action, set out in the GCA report Adaptation Status and Trends in Africa Report 2021, is of great importance. We must ensure that trade policy plays a key role in providing Africa with affordable and accessible climate adaptation solutions.
Note to editors:
About the Global Adaptation Center
The Global Center for Adaptation (GCA) is an international organization that works as a solution broker, partnering with the public and private sectors to accelerate action and support for adaptation solutions from international to local communities, ensuring we learn from each other and work together towards a climate-resilient future. Founded in 2018, GCA is hosted by the Netherlands and operates from its headquarters in Rotterdam and a knowledge and research hub based in Groningen. GCA has a worldwide network of regional offices in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Dhaka, Bangladesh and Beijing, China. Through this evolving office and network of global and regional GCA teams, the organization is engaged in high-level policy work, new research contributions, communications, and technical assistance to governments and the private sector.
For more information, please visit www.gca.org.
About the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program
As a facilitator of global solutions for adaptation and resilience, the Global Adaptation Center (GCA), in collaboration with the African Development Bank, created the African Adaptation Acceleration Program (AAAP), which focuses on bringing four key areas to work with African countries and partners to scale up adaptation action. Four key areas of climate-smart digital technologies for agriculture and food security. African Infrastructure Resilience Accelerator. Supporting youth entrepreneurship and job creation in climate adaptation and resilience, as well as innovative finance initiatives for Africa, will help address the link between climate change, COVID-19 and the economy, and will support African countries in designing and implementing transformative economic adaptation and post-COVID-19 recovery and development pathways. AAAP aims to mobilize $25 billion over five years ($5 billion annually) to support Africa’s adaptation plans. AfDB has already pledged half of the total, $12.5 billion, by 2025. The program is supported by President Tshisekedi, Chair of the African Union, and President Ali Bongo of Gabon, the African Union’s adaptation champion.
For more information, please visit www.gca.org/programs/africa-adaptation-acceleration-program/.
About Africa Adaptation Status and Trends Report 2021
GCA’s 2021 Africa Status and Adaptation Trends report provides the most comprehensive overview of the continent’s current and future prospects in the context of climate change. It is also a blueprint for how individuals and institutions in African and international policy fields can design, finance and implement adaptation plans to best protect the lives and livelihoods of hundreds of millions of Africans. The report, released ahead of COP26 in Glasgow, is an evidence-based advocacy tool that leverages the report’s actionable policy recommendations to keep Africa’s adaptation and resilience high on national and international agendas. As adaptation scales up in response to the challenges of climate change, this report is expected to influence the design of projects and programs supported by the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Programme.
To read the report, visit https://gca.org/reports/state-and-trends-in-adaptation-report-2021/.
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Alexandra Gee
Head of Communications, Global Center for Adaptation
alex.gee@gca.org
