Africa Climate Summit: Nairobi Declaration makes strong push for accelerated climate action and financing mechanisms

The Declaration will be the basis for Africa’s common position in COP 28 and beyond

From Africa Renewal: September 2023, 8 September 2023 By: UNECA

Summary of the Climate Summit Declaration

• African leaders attending the Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi are calling for urgent action from developed countries to reduce carbon emissions.
• They propose a new financing mechanism to restructure Africa’s debt and unlock climate funding.
• The leaders emphasize the importance of decarbonizing the global economy for equality and shared prosperity.
• Investment is needed to promote sustainable use of Africa’s natural assets for low carbon development.
• African countries face disproportionate burdens and risks from climate change, including droughts, floods, and fires.
• Climate change is the single greatest challenge facing humanity and the biggest threat to all life on earth.
• Despite not being historically responsible for global warming, Africa is willing to be a vital part of the global solution.
• Multilateral finance reform is necessary but not sufficient to provide the scale of climate financing needed.
• The leaders propose a global carbon taxation regime, along with other financial reforms, to finance climate-positive investments.
• They call for collective global action to mobilize capital for development and climate action.
• Concrete action and speed are needed to build resilience to climate shocks and better deploy financial mechanisms.
• The Nairobi Declaration adopted at the summit will serve as Africa’s common position in global climate change processes.
• The African Union plans to establish the Africa Climate Summit as a biennial event to address emerging global climate and development issues.