Statement By African Major Groups And Stakeholders To COP 26/CMP16/CMA3

We, the Major Groups and Stakeholders from the African region, gathered to attend COP26/CMA3/CMP16 in Glasgow both in person and virtually, representing the African Major Groups and Stakeholders accredited to the United Nations Environment Programme, agree on the following key messages to COP26/CMA3/CMP16:

We remain deeply alarmed by the recent IPCC Sixth Assessment Report that raises further concerns to the African continent as the most adversely impacted by Climate Change with, among other, having the highest increased surface temperature, sea level rise, and frequency and intensity of the climate extreme events.

We strongly deplore the weakened participation of African Major Groups and Stakeholders at COP26/CMA3/CMP16, due to an ever increasing list of challenges, most of them embedded in a profound lack of international equity and climate injustice that Africa disproportionately suffers from.

We further strongly deplore the lack of opportunities of engagement for the African Major Groups and Stakeholders that, through great efforts, were able to take part in person to COP26/CMA3/CMP16.

We express our full support to the African Group of Negotiators in securing the optimal outcomes for Africa at COP26/CMA3/CMP16.

We welcome the encouraging efforts taken by a number of African countries to build the foundations for low-carbon and resilient socioeconomic development and build back better amid the COVID-19 pandemic and reiterate our support to the African Green Stimulus Programme. These efforts need to be supported, inter alia, by facilitating  technology transfer to Africa, optimizing the local context, accelerating the creation of local green manufacturing capabilities, creating jobs and spearheading Africa’s industrial development.

We reaffirm that upholding and increasing international and national obligations and commitments, particularly by developed countries, is a matter of urgency and survival for Africa.

We recall that Climate Ambition and Action must be envisioned,  designed, implemented, reported on and evaluated  in the context of sustainable development.

We regret the strong focus of COP26 on long term pledges and plans as opposed to supporting urgently needed action, including through existing initiatives, particularly in Africa.

We express our doubts about how new mid century pledges and promises made during COP26 will translate into concrete actions on the ground and express our strong alignment with remarks made by Mrs. Vanessa Nakate from Uganda who declared during the Global Climate Action High-Level Event in Glasgow on November 11th 2021 : “We don’t believe you. Please prove us wrong”.

We demand that Global North leaders heed the messages of African and Global South leaders on all issues linked to climate change, particularly in meeting their financial pledges and allocating sufficient resources in support for adaptation and mitigation in a balanced way, while taking into consideration loss and damage for the most vulnerable.

We call upon Parties to put the role of nature and biodiversity at the heart of  commitments towards climate mitigation, adaptation and loss and damage.

We further call upon Parties to embrace and promote a One Health Approach to make Africa safer and healthier for humans, animals, plants, and their shared environment.

We further call for transformative partnerships for Climate Action globally and in Africa, with meaningful engagement of African Major Groups and Stakeholders, including through the Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action.

We urge Parties to forego silos and work in close collaboration across all multilateral forums in 2022, including in the context of COP27/CMP17/CMA4, UNEP 5.2, CBD 15.2, UNEP @50, Stockholm +50.

We look forward to COP27/CMP17/CMA4, the first African COP since COP22 in Marrakech in Morocco, to be hosted in Egypt and commit our full support to the incoming Egyptian Presidency.

We request more meaningful and constant inclusion of African Major Groups and Stakeholders in the work of the UNFCCC, in particular of women, youth and vulnerable communities.

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