There is a pressing need to combine
climate action solutions with brand-new sources of finance.
on the other hand “resilience readiness” across education, business, rule of law and political stability. These are the main targets and indicators of the Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative (ND-GAIN), an international ranking cited in November 2023 by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). A ranking “grounded in science-based evidence… [that aims] to enable leaders to make informed decisions across critical environmental, economic and social sectors”, according to the US-based University of Notre Dame, Indiana, USA. The ranking notes how the USA suffers “natural” disasters every year, but is mostly ready and resilient in the face of such threats (coming in 17th place). Nearby Haiti, however, faces one existential struggle after another (169th). Across the Atlantic, the picture is starker still as 9 of the 10 most vulnerable countries worldwide – home to some 230 million people – are in sub-Saharan Africa. These countries, including Chad, Eritrea and Sudan, are home to the most vulnerable communities on the planet, a fact noted in other reports by the World Food Programme and the UN Environment Programme. Will these communities be first in line to receive assistance from the new UN Loss and Damage Fund, the climate support mechanism provisionally agreed in early November 2023? Financial support is set to include substantial contributions not only from rich nations but also from large developing countries and will at first be managed by the World Bank. The UN Loss
partner countries. The President of the Islamic Development Bank, Muhammad Al Jasser, said: “The commitment reaffirms ACG’s steadfast
dedication to climate action and sustainable development, promising a brighter future for the continent.”
Achim Steiner, Head of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Building African leadership for climate Extra resources are always welcome, but who will decide where and when they are spent? The OPEC Fund takes its cue from partner countries: working on national needs-based finance (NBF) requests, an instrument to support developing countries to implement priority mitigation and adaptation measures in line with their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement and national adaptation plans. The OPEC Fund’s South-South cooperation for Africa follows the same spirit – partnerships not only with national governments, but also with the African Development Bank, the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa and others. Joint projects directly support climate governance through policy-based loans. The cooperation also lends indirect support through political solidarity and contributing to strengthening South-South identity. Speaking at the Africa Climate Week in Nairobi in September 2023, Kenya’s President William Ruto
Achim Steiner, Administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), went further, focusing on the next generation and what they will need to live in dignity: “The continent of Africa, home to the world’s youngest population, is already on the sharp edge of combining access to electricity with this new pathway of development through decarbonization. Yet there is a pressing need to combine the climate action solutions that are sprouting up across Africa with brand- new sources of finance to ensure that communities everywhere can bolster their climate resilience on a continent that is heating up faster than other parts of the planet; and deliver a range of new opportunities like jobs and livelihoods.” The international community needs to align global goals, empower grassroots and better coordinate regional policy- making. We need to shift low-efficiency mindsets and increase climate finance flows through better data, clearer rankings and compelling arguments. We need to move mountains if we are to save vulnerable nations – the vast majority of which are in sub-Saharan
set out his vision: “In Africa, we can be a green industrial hub that helps other regions achieve their net- zero strategies by 2050. Unlocking the renewable energy resources that we
Africa – from climate catastrophe. That may not save the snows of Kilimanjaro, but it will help the families in its foothills.
and Damage Fund is not, however, the only support available. Also in early November 2023, the Arab Coordination Group (ACG), the second- largest grouping of development finance institutes
have in our continent is not only good for Africa, it is good for the rest of the world.”
William Ruto, President of Kenya
in the world comprising 10 development funds including the OPEC Fund, pledged US$50 billion in support to African
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