COP31 must deliver action, not more promises – African climate negotiators

African climate negotiators are urging global climate talks to shift from mere pledges to concrete actions. Nana Dr. Antwi-Boasiako Amoah, Chair of the African Group of Negotiators on Climate Change (AGN), delivered this message during an expert meeting in Nairobi ahead of COP31 in Antalya. He emphasized that the legitimacy of the global climate process is at a critical juncture and that the real test will be whether the system can deliver on implementation.

Dr. Amoah highlighted Africa's key priorities, including adaptation, agriculture, finance, loss and damage, just transition, and the means of implementation. He stressed that these are not just negotiating preferences but the conditions necessary for the continent's development and resilience. Financially, Dr. Amoah called for robust, predictable, and grant-based climate finance for Africa's adaptation needs, rejecting any notion of climate support as charity.

He also stressed the importance of adequately funding the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage, ensuring that support reaches those most affected. On energy policies, he cautioned against one-size-fits-all transition frameworks, advocating for a just transition that prioritizes energy access, clean cooking, poverty eradication, and green industrialization tailored to Africa's unique economic realities.

Dr. Amoah urged negotiators to avoid using climate measures as a pretext for protectionism or to deepen economic inequities. He presented a strategic roadmap, "B2A2A" (Belém to Antalya to Addis Ababa), where the outcomes of COP31 in Antalya would lay the groundwork for COP32 in Addis Ababa in 2027. Dr. Amoah stressed that Africa's presence at COP31 should not just be symbolic; it must actively shape the outcomes coming out of the negotiations.