The African Group of Negotiators on Climate Change (AGN) has assured the African civil society of its commitment to protecting Africa’s interests in the newly operationalised Loss and Damage Fund.
Briefing the civil society groups at the on-going United Nations Climate Summit (COP28) in Dubai, AGN Chair, Ephraim Mwepya Shitima, said the group, through its representatives in the Transitional Committee on the Loss and Damage Fund, ensured that important safeguards were put in place to avoid lengthy and unnecessary bureaucratic processes that would hinder access.
Shitima was responding to concerns by civil society groups that hosting the fund at the World Bank would create access and other bureaucratic barriers for countries from the global south.
“We reluctantly agreed to the hosting arrangements to expedite its operationalisation. If we insisted on the creation of a standalone fund, it would have taken us another three years to have it operationalised. But even as the case is, there are safeguards that have been put in place. We have some clauses that would allow the fund to be taken away from the world Bank if certain conditions as agreed are not met,” said Shitima.
In a historic moment, the draft decision on the Loss and Damage Fund was adopted during the opening plenary of COP28, effectively operationalising the fund.
The Fund was agreed upon at COP27 held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. The modalities for the operationalisation were discussed and agreed by the Transitional Committee (TC) which was constituted.
Loss and Damage is essential even if the world meets climate mitigation goals because a “locked-in” level of warming already impacts particularly vulnerable communities being hit by extreme weather events, such as storms and floods, reduced agricultural productivity, and rising sea levels among others.
However, African civil society, led by the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA), is concerned that the fund will be hosted by the World Bank.
“Even as we welcome the operationalisation of the fund, we are concerned that it will be hosted by an institution with historical access challenges for countries from the global south,” said Mithika Mwenda, PACJA Executive Director.
“We hope it will not be another of some existing funds that do not save the interest of the global south counties especially those in Africa,” added Mwenda.
By Friday Phiri
