The African Group of Negotiators (AGN) on Climate Change has called for increased financing, technology transfer and capacity-building to help African countries implement climate empowerment commitments ahead of the 31st Conference of the Parties (COP31).
Nana Dr Antwi-Boasiako Amoah, Chair of the AGN, said climate agreements and national policies would achieve meaningful results only when people and institutions had the knowledge, skills and resources to translate them into practical action.
He was speaking at the opening of a strategic meeting on Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE) in Monrovia, Liberia.
The meeting brought together climate negotiators, national ACE focal points and development partners to strengthen Africa’s priorities and negotiating approach ahead of COP31.
Dr Amoah said Africa needed to move beyond recognising the importance of climate education, public awareness and participation to ensuring that those commitments produced measurable outcomes at national and community levels.
He noted that climate information was not always available in forms that communities could understand and use, while many institutions responsible for implementing national climate commitments faced financial and technical constraints.
Women, young people, persons with disabilities and vulnerable communities also continued to face barriers to meaningful participation in climate decision-making, he said.
“Climate empowerment is not simply about communicating climate change. It is about enabling people to understand risks, influence decisions and take informed action,” he said.
Action for Climate Empowerment, established under Article 6 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and Article 12 of the Paris Agreement covers climate education, training, public awareness, public participation, access to information and international cooperation.
Dr Amoah said the midterm review of the Glasgow work programme, initiated at the 64th session of the Subsidiary Bodies (SB64) in Bonn, provided an opportunity to strengthen the implementation of ACE commitments.
He said Africa’s engagement at COP31 should be informed by the practical experiences of member states and focus on securing support for national implementation.
The future ACE action plan, he added, should help countries strengthen institutions, implement existing commitments more effectively and demonstrate progress in ways that reflected their national circumstances and capacities.
Chair of the AGN said climate empowerment could improve the quality of adaptation planning when women and local communities participated meaningfully in decisions affecting their livelihoods.
Accessible scientific information could also help farmers make informed decisions about planting, while strengthening the capacity of local authorities to communicate climate risks could improve climate governance.
Dr Amoah called for stronger coordination between African negotiators and national ACE focal points to ensure a coherent continental position during the negotiations and sustained action afterwards.
He said Africa should also use the opportunity presented by COP32, scheduled to take place on the continent, to demonstrate its leadership in connecting climate policy with the needs of its people.
“The real test of climate diplomacy is not only what we succeed in negotiating, but what our countries and communities are subsequently empowered to achieve,” he said.
GNA
