I am speaking on behalf of the African Group of Negotiators. We thank the incoming COP31 Presidency for convening these consultations so early, and for its open, inclusive approach. For Africa, keeping 1.5 degrees within reach and speeding up implementation depend on the same thing. Developing countries need the means to act, and the multilateral system has to deliver on what it has already agreed. With that in mind, the African Group sees priority outcomes in three clusters.
FIRST, FINANCE: Under the Climate Finance Work Programme agreed in Belém, CMA8 must move into substantive discussion of how we engage with Article 9.1. Its provisions are clear, and they cannot keep being put off. Let’s deliver on what we agreed on. Second, we need a clear signal on replenishing the Green Climate Fund. The arrangements between the COP and the GCF already provide the mandate: the COP is to assess the funds developing countries need to implement the Convention, and that assessment should inform resource mobilisation. This is not a new issue, we ask that the existing mandate be used. Third, on the Adaptation Fund, the text is ready. The COP should mandate the Board to begin transition arrangements so the Fund can serve the Paris Agreement, given the share of proceeds from Article 6.4.
SECOND, ADAPTATION: We need to agree on arrangements for a task force that builds on what we learned while developing the indicators. This work is purely technical, and we believe it can be concluded in the first week. Let me reassure Parties that the African Group is not seeking a permanent body. We emphasise the agreement on a two-year process focused on metadata and methodologies. We also need room to discuss the tripling of adaptation finance by 2035, and the pursuit of the Global Goal on Adaptation, in line with Articles 9.1, 10 and 11 of the Paris Agreement. That means talking about baselines and trajectory. This matters for trust in the multilateral system. We cannot simply set aside what we agreed before.
THIRD, CLIMATE AND DEVELOPMENT: Operationalising the Just Transition Mechanism, and continuing work under the Just Transition Work Programme, is a crucial outcome for the African Group. COP31 must set clear parameters for the Mechanism’s institutional arrangements, following a two-tier approach with a technical dimension and a political dimension. Above all, it must address how the just transition will be financed. That means being clear about what the UNFCCC process can do, what external actors can do, and the modalities that connect the two.
We look forward to more engagement in the Climate Change and Trade Dialogue. Parties face a real challenge in agreeing how the dialogue’s outcomes will feed into the high-level roundtable expected from the Subsidiary Bodies. That process must be owned by Parties, not left only to the Chairs.
Presidency, the African Group stands ready to work with you and all Parties toward a COP31 that delivers implementation, finance and trust.
I thank you.
