What our leaders should push for during Africa Climate meet

A worker plants flowers at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre ahead of the Africa Climate Summit. [Denish Ochieng', Standard]

Next Month, President William Ruto will host African leaders for a meeting deemed one of its kind in the history of climate change discourse processes in the continent.

All eyes, certainly, are focusing on this crucial convergence of Africans from all walks of life to build consensus and chart collective way forward on the issue that threatens to reverse gains made in alleviating poverty and achieving sustainable development.

The Africa Climate Summit (ACS) scheduled for September 4 - 6, 2023 at Kenyatta International Convention Centre will bring together Heads of State and Government, Ministers, intergovernmental agencies, civil society, smallholder producers, indigenous people, youth, private sector and other stakeholders. It will rally Africans together towards the global climate change forum (COP28) in Dubai later in this year.

Mandated by the African Union, the ACS will dig deeper into conversations around critical issues shaping international climate negotiations, such as energy systems and industry, cities, urban and rural settlements, infrastructure and transport, and how all these interact among people, societies and economies. It will look into adaptation and resilience building for the communities at the frontline of climate crisis, as well as how the continent is navigating the discussions on the transition to low-carbon, climate-resilient future.

More importantly, climate finance, which has remained a divisive issue between rich and poor countries, is expected to take centre-stage during the Nairobi summit.

Definitely, President Ruto, the coordinator of the African Union's Committee of Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC), has been vocal on what Africa should pursue as a priority not only in climate change negotiations, but also in global geopolitical interactions, where he sees the current global financing architecture tilted against the African continent.

From the Pan African Parliamentarians Summit on Climate Policy and Equity in South in May, to the Paris Summit for the New Financing Architecture, to whirlwind of events across the World, the President has distinguished himself as an outstanding voice for Africa's renewal, and his titular standing in the community of Nations is indeed a welcome gesture.

Africa needs a rallying point, and the President has emerged to fill that gap. But not everyone is satisfied about the agenda of the Africa Climate Summit in its current form.

A section of civil society feels left out of the summit, and claim it is exceedingly shrinking into the usual elite jamboree which will end up just like any other forum conducted in pomp and colour, and profound expectations, only to fade away later.

A petition by a section of the civil society circulating in social media went viral recently, and issues raised, including lack of sufficient involvement and claims of agenda being hijacked by foreign interests, can only dent the image of the Summit if they are not addressed.

Delegates from various countries during the just-concluded nineteenth session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) in Addis Ababa raised similar issues in the civil society petition, particularly the proposed declaration and exclusive nature of the Summit planning. There is silent grumbling from other key stakeholders who cannot openly speak due to diplomatic restrictions.

The Non-State Actors Steering Committee, a voluntary team of individuals drawn from key institutions and networks across Africa to facilitate their effective and coordinated participation in the Summit will remain steadfast in calling for a Summit that is responsive to people's desires, aspirations, demands and expectations. The committee will continue articulating, through all means possible, the voices of those who feel submerged and obscured by powerful interests.

The committee has urged African leaders to:

• Stand by the principles of climate justice, human rights, gender equality, and intergenerational equity in all climate policies and actions.
• Reject false solutions and narratives that undermine African communities' rights, interests and sovereignty, such as carbon markets, geoengineering, nuclear energy, and the deceitful principle of shared responsibilities.
• Reject the promotion of carbon markets that are not responsive and do not serve the climate justice imperatives for Africa.
• Commit to a just and equitable transition to renewable energy, ensuring that energy access is prioritised for the poor and marginalised and that community ownership and participation are guaranteed.
• Demand that developed countries fulfil their historical responsibility and provide adequate and predictable finance, technology transfer, and capacity building to support adaptation, mitigation, and loss and damage in Africa.
• Continue to advance for shared and collective accountability in country's leadership in the implementation of AU Mandate.
• Put the African people above all personal and collective political and economic interests

The NSAs Steering Committee for the Africa Climate Summit remains committed to advancing the common good of Africa.

It will seek to deepen collaboration with the Kenyan government, the African Union Commission and other stakeholders to ensure that the Africa Climate Summit prioritises Africa's needs and promotes African leadership in tackling the international dialogues and global conversations on climate emergency.

-The writer is the Executive Director of the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA)