COP27 Slow Progress Disappoint African CSOs

A team of African civil society groups at COP27 in Sharma el Sheikh, Egypt 

By Charles Ogallo

African civil society groups have expressed disappointment with the progress and expected outcomes from the 27^th Conference of Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change taking place in Sharma El Sheikh, Egypt.

United under the Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance, the CSOs said contrary to expectations by Africa, COP27 would soon end, leaving millions of Africans with unresolved climate-related miseries.

Mithika Mwenda, the Executive director, PACJA said Africans leave COP27 a disappointed lot.

“We came with the hope that the momentum created by the discussions in the year ahead of COP27 under the facilitation of UNFCCC, the COP Presidency and the facilitation of friends of the COP will materialize with concrete outcomes in Egypt. But unfortunately, the end of COP is an anti-climax,” said Mithika.

Mithika said people facing starvation in the Eastern and Horn of Africa due to climate-related droughts in parts of Eastern Africa, floods in Nigeria and cyclones in Southern Africa would continue to wait for signals on action from the international community.

“This will continue to delay because decisions on loss and damage have been delayed yet again to 2024,” he said.

Tracy Sony, a gender specialist from Botswana, said the most pressing issue remains lack of clear linkages between yearly plans, programs and discussions from across continents but without concrete outcomes at every other COP. “Why should we be meeting every year in these COPs that end up with no substantial outcomes,” she said.

Augustine Njamnshi, Chair Political and Technical Committee, PACJA noted that Africans woukd be leaving COP27 less reassured of the goodwill of global leaders, especially those in high-polluting industrialized countries.

The climate activists had expected to see delegation from the developed countries make bold decisions reflecting the scale and urgency of the climate crisis, according to Njamnshi.

Njamnshi noted that as in Glasgow last year, which lowered the bar and deferred urgent actions despite the high risk of missing the Paris Agreement targets, COP27 has dashed the hopes of the African people, potentially raising their plight.

While mentioning areas Africans felt let down by the COP27, Njamnshi said failure to admit Africa’s special needs and circumstances on the agenda of the global conference contributed to the slow progress, delays and, in some cases, the lowering of ambition on issues pertinent to Africa.

The deferral of a decision on financing loss and damage to 2024 with no guarantees of an outcome that reflects the aspirations and hopes of Africa and the lower-than-needed emission reduction ambition announced by big polluters, particularly the EU also downgraded the COP in the eyes of the Africans.

Njamnshi said failure to reach a clear trajectory for phasing out fossil fuel, which has resulted in the decisions by some countries to continue, using high polluting fossil fuels that has powered the same economic model behind the current climate crisis, would not be of any help to the continent.

“After a careful examination of what needs to change to rekindle hope and justify Africa’s continued engagement with the global effort to address the climate crisis, we call on African leaders to reassess the relevance of the UNFCCC and COP processes to the African people and take radical actions to strengthen Africa’s voice and participation,” said Njamnshi.

He challenged big polluters to honor their pledges and engagement to deliver the resources needed to address the climate crisis in Africa, especially those touching on adaptation and loss and damage.

Florence Kasule, a climate activist from Uganda said African women feel disappointed by negotiations process and progress at the COP27.

“The COP was tagged as an implementation COP with its promise on key African issues and had women excited since they are the major implementers of climate action at the grassroots,” she said.

Lack of a clear action on adaptation, loss, and damage, which meant little action on agriculture upon which the economies of African countries rely on most and given that fact that women are te key drivers of agriculture in Africa.

Lucky Abeng, a youth from Nigeria said, the youth that make up 70 per cent of the population of the continent leave COP27 disappointed.

“Young people have been disadvantaged and look to next year with uncertainty. The COP27 progress has done nothing but punctured the pride of the African youth,” he said.

The two week UN Climate Change COP27 began 6^th November , 2022 with calls for immediate implementation of Paris Agreement. .