Seven key demands of African negotiators amidst draft text showdown

As the global community looks forward to the release of the final draft resolution to reach a decision-making point regarding the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG), the primary objective of the 29th edition of the UN Climate Change Summit.COP29) In Baku, the African Group of Negotiators (AGN) reiterated its expectations regarding the outcome of these final drafts.

On Thursday, a palpable sense of anxiety pervaded the COP29 negotiations hall. Azerbaijan's vibrant capital, Baku, echoed such sentiments with many people skeptical that this year's COP could go ahead of schedule amid perceived weak commitment and sabotage from wealthy countries.

Tensions escalated after the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) unveiled a new draft resolution.

Many interlocutors from the Global South expressed disappointment and displeasureStemming from the feeling that the document did not adequately address their key expectations and demands, overshadowing the ongoing discussions and hopes for a meaningful agreement.

This prompted a number of reactions and criticisms from various negotiating groups, with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urging world leaders and negotiators to find compromise regarding an ambitious NCQG.

Frustrated heads of the various negotiating factions described the proposed text as regressive and one of the weakest in the second week of the COP.

On Thursday, the Group of African negotiators said it was eagerly awaiting an updated draft resolution to take the NCQG to the decision-making point as COP29 is set to end on Friday.

basic demands

Some of the major demands and expectations put forward by the African negotiating group are given below:

The NCQG should provide a responsive finance target for developing countries that responds to our evolving needs and priorities;

It should be designed to support the implementation of nationally determined commitments, national adaptation plans.

Unlike the US$100B per year commitment, this target should avoid input-based finance targets that do not clarify the set of climate outcomes to be supported.

The provision of public finance is central to any finance raising effort. Therefore, the NCQG should include a main public finance provision target by developed countries and an additional mobility target.

The core allocation of the NCQG will consist of two components, a publicly provided and a publicly mobilized element that will achieve a total quantum target of US$1.3 trillion per year between 2026 and 2030.

The provision component to support the mobilization target should be earmarked at USD 600 billion per year on grant and grant equivalent terms.

Also read: COP29: Debate rages on new funding proposal for developing countries amid huge inequality

We need to establish burden-sharing arrangements for developed country parties based on historical emissions and per capita GDP in meeting the target.

To enable the necessary level of mobilization, which remains a fundamental challenge in Africa, the AGN said it is important that parties take specific measures to reduce the high cost of capital, increase mobilization ratios and increase access to non-banking debt. Agree on commitments. Financial instruments.