The following was the result of a virtual meeting of East and Southern Africa faith leaders in July 2024. They requested that ACT Alliance, Caritas Internationalis, and the Anglican Alliance develop this statement based on their hopes. It was endorsed by the following ACT Forums: Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, and Tanzania, and by Caritas’ faith leaders. It outlines the priorities of these faith and spiritual leaders for COP 29 and serves as a set of advocacy points on Climate Finance and the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA).
We, the religious leaders and faith actors representing Africa’s diverse and united voices, stand together to express deep concern for the consequences of climate change on the earth and its people, all entrusted, as our faiths reveal, to our common care. Despite contributing the least to global emissions, Africa faces exponential impacts, posing systemic risks to its economies, infrastructure investments, water and food systems, public health, agriculture, and livelihoods, threatening to undo its modest development gains and slip into higher levels of extreme poverty.
As guardians of ethical wisdom and spiritual guidance, we are saddened by the insufficient urgency and ambition in addressing climate change. It is crucial for political leaders, communities, and ourselves to respond to the earth’s cries and the urgent pleas of those most impacted by its changing climate. Our sacred teachings demand that we be responsible for creation. The values of stewardship, empathy, justice, equity, and solidarity, as enshrined in our faith traditions, must guide every decision and action that is taken at COP 29 in Azerbaijan, Baku.
As Baku begins, Africa must chart a new course of action in shaping the future of adaptation and climate finance through the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG). The new finance goal will provide an opportunity for Africa to elevate her agency and strategically center real and felt needs, realities, and demands in the goal’s determination.
While the NCQG holds a significant promise to Africa, its success will depend on several factors.
Therefore:
- The COP 29 negotiation process must be inclusive and participatory, ensuring that the voices and needs of developing countries are adequately represented.
- The NCQG must be ambitious yet realistic, balancing the financial capacities of developed countries with the urgent needs of developing nations.
- The international community must work together to establish a framework ensuring efficient and equitable distribution of climate finance.
As representatives of the majority of the global population who live with religious affiliations and values, we will not only hold leaders to account but will also support governments, and politicians working towards an ambitious global climate agreement in Paris and beyond.
Therefore:
We call for a fair, ambitious, and binding global deal applicable to all countries and amplify the following as matters central to the African region that must be considered.
Global Goal on Adaptation key considerations and messages
- Adoption of clear indicators to track progress on adaptation targets transparently.
- Upholding of the principle of Common but Differentiated Responsibilities (CBDR) for a fair effort-sharing approach and equitable outcomes.
- Support and prioritization of adaptation strategies that are led by local communities and combine scientific research with indigenous practices for more effective adaptation.
- Clear language and specific targets for means of implementation, including finance, technology, and capacity building for developing countries.
- Focus on implementation mechanisms, resource mobilization, and preventing diversion to other areas such as loss and damage.
- Strengthened coordination among African negotiators to present a unified stance at international forums.
- Predictable and substantial adaptation finance to support the development and implementation of National Adaptation Plans (NAPs).
New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG)
Despite pledges to double adaptation finance since COP 26, issues with accessibility, ambiguity, monitoring, and accountability persist, revealing a huge gap between pledges and needs. The upcoming negotiations on the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) at COP 29 should reveal pivotal outcomes.
We urge governments to:
- Establish a clear, ambitious, and science-based finance commitment to support NDCs and NAPs on a grant-equivalent basis that does not increase debt burdens for developing countries.
- Develop a clear methodology for climate finance accounting and reporting.
- Settle on a globally agreed-upon definition of climate finance to enhance transparency and accountability.
- Agree on a quantum that reflects the true scale and crisis of climate crisis and genuine commitment rooted in the reality of the climate needs of the developing countries rather than politically negotiated figures.
- Deliver a concrete, yearly target over a 5-year duration in line with the GST and NDC cycle, whereby a review to inform updating of the goal is done.
- Stabilize the NCQG through a mechanism that ensures continuous annual support rather than sporadic and unstable pledges, which can undermine climate action efforts.
- Call for specific measures and financing to close the adaptation finance gap and deliver on the Global Goal on Adaptation, ensuring resources are secured to support the most vulnerable nations.
With faith guiding our moral decisions and love and dignity illuminating our path, let us unite in the quest for a fair, impartial, and enduring world. Together, we possess the ability to revive, mend, and care for Mother Earth, the provider of sustenance for us all.
PHOTO: Abba Eeldesibhat Engidaw is a local priest who will address the traditional and spiritual mechanisms of forest protection with local residents. PHOTO: Yemoanpicture/ACT
