Rotterdam, 26 August 2022 (TDI): The African Union (AU), African Development Bank (AfDB), International Monetary Fund (IMF), Africa Adaptation Initiative (AAI), and Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) are hosting the Africa Adaptation Summit on 5th September.
The agenda of the Summit is to lay the groundwork for an adaptation breakthrough for Africa at COP27. The Summit will be moderated by Global Center on Adaptation’s (GCA) Chief Executive Officer, Professor Dr. Patrick Verkooijen.
The @GCAdaptation @_AfricanUnion @AfDB_Group @IMFNews @AfricaAAI @TheCVF are convening a Summit to accelerate adaptation action for Africa ahead of @Cop27P. We look forward to welcoming @UN DSG @AminaJMohammed & other global leaders to our floating office: https://t.co/YwP5iD6n2n pic.twitter.com/PdIpJt4rD1
— Global Center on Adaptation (@GCAdaptation) August 25, 2022
This is a historic chance for the global community to deliver on the Glasgow Climate Pact and address the multibillion-dollar annual gap in adaptation funds for Africa.
The Africa Adaptation Summit, hosted at GCA’s headquarters in the world’s largest floating office in the Netherlands, will serve as an action-forcing platform to deliver pledges to the AAAP and stimulate new coalitions of partners and projects to speed up action on the ground across Africa.
The Summit will bring together global leaders from governments, international organizations, multilateral development banks, the corporate sector, mayors, civil society, young leaders, and other stakeholders to increase the continent’s ambition for adaptation action.
The Summit will also give an opportunity to generate new coalitions of partners and initiatives to accelerate action on the ground across Africa, thereby maintaining momentum and raising adaptation ambitions ahead of COP27.
Keynote remarks will be delivered by Nana Akufo-Addo; President of Ghana and Chair of the Climate Vulnerable Forum, Ali Bongo Ondibma; President of Gabon and Africa Adaptation Initiative Champion and Félix Tshisekedi; President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Pre-COP27 host.
Moreover, Sahle-Work Zewde; the President of Ethiopia, Mette Frederiksen; Prime Minister of Denmark, Uhuru Kenyatta; Global Champion for the AAAP, Kristalina Georgieva; Managing Director of IMF and Moussa Faki Mahamat; Chairperson of the AU Commission will also address the Summit.
Likewise, Akinwumi Adesina; President of AfDB, Amina Mohammed; Deputy Secretary-General of the UN, Frans Timmermans; Executive Vice President of the European Commission, John Kerry; Special Presidential Envoy for Climate of the US (invited) and Alok Sharma; COP26 President will deliver keynote speeches.
For Leaders Roundtable, scene-setting remarks will be shared by Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), and Mathias Cormann; Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Additionally, Werner Hoyer; the President of the European Investment Bank (EIB), and Mahmoud Mohieldin; the UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for Egypt will give remarks during the Summit.
Africa Climate Emergency
Africa is on the front lines of a climate emergency that it did not cause. The IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report for 2022 emphasizes Africa’s vulnerability to the effects of climate shocks, which would affect millions of people across the continent.
These shocks are amplified by the food, gasoline, and fiscal crises, as well as the multifaceted effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Climate action cannot be ignored at this time. Africa must promptly and broadly implement climate-resilient solutions.
When done well, adaptation creates tremendous prospects for employment development, productivity growth, and poverty reduction.
In reality, adaptation has the power to reshape Africa. Effective investments in adapting to a hotter, harsher, and more unpredictable environment will be required in the future to unlock Africa’s full economic potential.
Africa can move forward quickly on a resilient and green growth path by utilizing the enormous synergies between adaptation, growth, and development if action is taken swiftly and effectively across all sectors.
