The African Development Bank Group-Civil Society Coalition on Climate and Energy unveils its 5 priorities to fight climate change: adaptation, loss and damage, food systems; land use; and the protection and restoration of forests.
The priorities were announced by Secou Sarr, Executive Secretary of ENDA-Tiers Monde, a collective of African non-governmental organizations (NGOs) at a side event held at the United Nations Climate Conference (COP28 UAE) in Dubai.
These NGOs came together under the platform launched at #COP28UAE – the “African Development Bank Group-Civil Society Coalition on Climate and Energy”.
African Development Bank President Dr. Akinwumi Adesina made the case to coalition members for the continent to be able to benefit from its natural resources.
“African economies should not be measured by GDP. We should assess Africa’s wealth on the basis of its natural capital,” he said. “Its immense mineral, forestry and renewable energy resources should all be taken into account.”
At the opening of discussions with #civilsociety, Beth Dunford, African Development Bank Vice President for Agriculture and Human and Social Development, said that the Bank dedicated 64% of its funding to climate adaptation in Africa and that it has just opened a #ClimateActionWindow to provide specific resources and technical assistance to the continent’s least developed countries. At least $42 billion is set to be mobilized for this new window, which is backed by the #AfricanDevelopmentFund, the Bank Group’s concessional window.
Augustine Njamnshi, Chair of the Coalition, welcomed the finance/civil-society/private-sector nexus in the fight against climate change in Africa. “Doubling adaptation funding will not be enough for the continent, because governments have already spent a lot of money,” he said, calling on civil society and the private sector, and especially the banks, to work together for the continent’s benefit.
Mithika Mwenda, Chair of the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance – a powerful network of more than 1,000 African organizations working in the climate arena – emphasized the catalysing role of civil society, while praising the partnership with the Bank, which had made possible “significant commitments”
