Africa Advances on Common Position Ahead of COP 30

By Correspondent

Convening back-to-back, the 13th Conference on Climate Change and Development in Africa (CCDA-XIII) and the Second Africa Climate Summit (ACS2) contributed to the development of Africa’s common position at the 2025 UN Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP 30) in Belém, Brazil. African leaders committed to put Africa at the forefront of global climate action.

Convened by the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) in partnership with the African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Union Commission (AUC), and the Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) from 5-7 September 2025, CCDA-XIII was held on the theme, ‘Empowering Africa’s Climate Action with Science, Finance, and Just Transition.’ Its outcome document calls for urgent action and scaled-up investment to advance Africa’s climate agenda along the priority areas of adaptation and loss and damage, science and data, climate finance, just transitions, ecosystems, and African leadership.

Closing the Conference, UNECA Executive Secretary Claver Gatete called for unity and determination. “Africa is not waiting to be acted upon,” he stated. “We are shaping our destiny, leveraging our resources, and bringing solutions to the world.”

CCDA-XIII outcomes fed into the ‘Addis Ababa Declaration on Climate Change and Call to Action,’ adopted at the conclusion of ACS2, which convened under the theme, ‘Accelerating Global Climate Solutions: Financing for Africa’s Resilient and Green Development.’ Among the many announcements made during the Summit were:

• The Africa Climate Innovation Compact (ACIC) and the African Climate Facility (ACF), established at the initiative of Ethiopia, committing to mobilize USD 50 billion annually in catalytic finance for climate solutions;
• Agreement to operationalize the African Climate Change Fund, supported by the AfDB, which will channel green bonds and innovative financing instruments built for Africa’s realities;
• A pledge of USD 79 million by Denmark to support agricultural transformation;
• A Cooperation Framework to operationalize the Africa Green Industrialisation Initiative (AGII), signed by African financial institutions and backed byUSD 100 billion mobilized for green growth; and
• A pledge of USD 4.2 billion to the Italian Climate Fund, reaffirmed by Italy, with around 70% dedicated to Africa.

ACS2 was hosted by the Government of Ethiopia in collaboration with the African Union (AU) from 8-10 September 2025.

Source: SDG Knowledge hub