African Countries Draw Red Lines In The Bonn Climate Change Negotiations

African countries came to Bonn, Germany for the 23rd session of the Conference of Parties to the United Nations Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC-COP 23) with the hope of advancing gains on thorny issues around the implementation of the Paris Agreement but also concluding on the pre-2020 ambition which they believe will be instrumental in addressing the climate change vulnerability among African communities. As a continent adversely affected by the impacts of climate change, the African group in COP 23 has raised concerns over the lack of equity and progress in the negotiations in line with the principle of Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC) under the Convention.   

COP23 negotiations began on 6th November. During the first week of negotiations, parties have made haste in making progress on the Paris Rule Book. However, the African group has raised concerns over the lack of progress on other streams of negotiations under the Subsidiary Body of Implementation (SBI) and the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA). It is under these streams that critical issues on enhancing the greenhouse gas emission cuts and support in finance, technology and capacity building from the developed country to developing country Parties are negotiated.   

The Question of Equity: Thorny issues in the negotiations

The African group of negotiators also raised concerns over specific procedural and substantial issues in the Post 2020 ambition, especially on the conditionality of the implementation of the nationally determined contributions. The African group also pointed to pressing issues on the strategic approach in the development of the Paris Rule Book. These developments are viewed as a ploy to hastily make decisions on the Paris Rule Book leaving out equity issues that are key to the African Countries about climate finance, loss, and damage, Mitigation as well as transparency and accountability. The African group is also concerned over the very short time provided for negotiations of these significant agenda items.   

Climate Finance

Though UNFCCC-COP23 pledges were not expected, Germany has provided a good signal by pledging 50 million Euros to the Adaptation Fund. It is anticipated that this COP will provide more clarity on how climate finance will be contributed in a transparent and accountable manner. Climate Finance is a crucial issue for Africa as the continent is adversely affected by climate change yet the continent emits only less than 4 percent of the global greenhouse gas emissions. In 2009 Parties to the UNFCCC committed to a goal of mobilizing jointly $100 billion a year by 2020 from both public and private sources to support climate action in developing countries and the goal is far from being reached. The African group is greatly concerned over the lack of progress on all finance and finance-related issues, faced with the lack of political will to advance in these matters.   

The African group has protested the push to continue with the development of the Paris Rule Book without considerations of the financial aspect as the burden of climate change will be shifted to Africa and other developing countries contrary to the provisions in the Convention. This is because Africa’s Nationally Determined Commitments (NDC’s) have both the conditional and unconditional aspect, and if the Paris Rule Book is adopted without the financial considerations, African countries will be bound to be accountable and report on the conditional element in their NDCs. This will be far from addressing the climate change impacts faced by African communities and the historical responsibility of climate change.

In regard to the Adaptation Fund which is critical for adaptation efforts in African countries, the African group has regretted the prolonged discussion on reaching consensus on the Adaptation Fund serving the Paris Agreement. The African group aims at having the decision and modalities of the Adaptation fund concluded in COP 23. The key issues on the adaptation fund are sustainability and predictability of the fund, its governance and guidance. The Adaptation Fund has been viewed as innovative and funding adaptation actions in vulnerable countries.   

Nationally Determined Commitments (NDC’s)

The discussions on NDCs have been very contentious during the first week of negotiations, in relation to the scope of the NDCs and how to operationalize differentiation. While developed countries and some developing countries are of the view that the guidance should only be limited to the mitigation component of the NDCs, African countries have stressed that the guidance should encompass the full-scope of NDCs which includes mitigation, adaptation and the means of implementation. This is a move in ensuring that NDC’s take into consideration of the Africa concerns which also aligns to its demands on climate finance.   

Adaptation, Loss and Damage

The extreme weather events unprecedentedly affect Africa in a more frequent and destructive manner than ever before, while there's neither an effective approach to address the Loss and damage associated with slow onset events related to climate change. Loss and Damage is a key issue that has previously not been seriously addressed, and with COP23 hosted by an island that has faced climate change losses, it is an issue that has become key in these negotiations. The African group has called for special financial resources from developed country parties, for activities and actions in developing countries need to be provided urgently. In ensuring that Loss and damage is strongly addressed in the negotiations, African countries are also pushing for a permanent item on the agendas of the subsidiary bodies, in order to count on a more inclusive space of negotiations that allows all parties to express their approaches in relation to the full operationalization of the Warsaw Implementation Mechanism (WIM) on Loss and damage. Developed Countries have showed no commitment in financing Loss and damage.   

Transparency Versus Ambition

During the first week, there have been more discussions on transparency and accountability which the African Group has seen as a good step in the negotiations - though it MUST be accompanied by ambition. The African group has noted that transparency and accountability can only be viewed from the perspective that the required support is provided to Africa and developed countries. In its statement with G77 group during the stock take meeting, it said that "We have stated that enhanced support enables enhanced action and that enhanced action requires enhanced support. Both must progress in a balanced manner".   

Moving forward: Likely Scenarios

As we enter the second week of the negotiations and with the more delegates arriving especially members of parliament, ministers and some heads of state from the respective African countries, there could be another twist of events. Already there are scheduled press conferences by African parliamentarians aimed at putting pressure on the thorny issues in the negotiations in addressing the equity issue and specifically the during the African day scheduled on Wednesday, 15th November, 2017, African countries will make further statements on their dissatisfaction with the process and especially stating that it will be difficult to be part of the consensus that will not keep Africa safe.

Civil society groups from Africa are also gearing up in putting pressure on the process pushing for a probability of walk out of the African delegation. There have been no indications that other countries will follow the US in pulling out, but its implications on the ambition of other developed countries is still a key concern. The other scenario would be a tactical undermining of the Paris Agreement especially by the Like Minded Developing Countries (LMDC) by requiring further NDC guidelines on Adaptation, Mitigation and Means of Implementation. Civil society should push for transparency and accountability in climate financing, as a section of the Parties doesn’t want to be overburdened with reporting and accounting guidelines. The last scenario would be a requirement by parties to have the Paris Agreement further elaborated  - and this would entirely derail the process.   

Author: Robert Muthami is a Programme Coordinator at the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Kenya Office. He coordinates work around climate change and the Sustainable Development Goals.