The African Group of Negotiators on Climate Change (AGN) has renewed its call for transparency and adherence to established rules and procedures within the climate negotiation process as the world prepares for the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP 29) in Azerbaijan starting tomorrow.
During a recent meeting with the UN Climate Executive Secretary, Simon Stiell, the AGN Chair, Ali Mohamed, emphasized the need for balanced representation of critical agenda items, specifically highlighting adaptation a priority for Africa alongside mitigation.
“In recent years, we have noted maneuvers to circumvent the process; I wish to reiterate our call for transparency, respect for rules that we have set for ourselves, and balance between agenda items, particularly those related to mitigation and adaptation.
“Mitigation continues to dominate, but we have no apologies that adaptation remains a key agenda item for us. Under the framework of the New Collective Quantified Goal on Climate Finance (NCQG), we would like to see substantial progress on financing for adaptation, which has significantly lagged behind support for mitigation,” he said.
Simon Stiell, the UN Climate Chief, assured the AGN of the UN Secretariat’s commitment to transparency in the negotiation process.
He further emphasized that the NCQG discussions would honor the principles already agreed upon and stated that “there is growing convergence that the NCQG will be negotiated based on existing principles, with no room for renegotiation of the Paris Agreement.”
The AGN’s position reflects long-standing concerns of African countries, which often bear the brunt of climate impacts despite contributing minimally to global greenhouse gas emissions.
With COP 29 expected to focus on climate finance mechanisms, including adaptation funding, the AGN hopes for a more inclusive, balanced approach to addressing Africa’s unique climate challenges.
By Dare Akogun
