ABU DHABI - The COP28 UAE Presidency team attended the inaugural Africa Climate Summit (ACS), taking part in speaking engagements, meetings with African national leaders and leaders from business, policy and civil society and community visits, in a show of support and commitment to the continent as a major player in a better climate future.

Activity conducted by the UAE delegation reflected the COP28 4-Point Plan of Action – to fast track a just, orderly and equitable energy transition, fix climate finance, focus on people, lives and livelihoods, and underscore all action with full inclusivity. It also took place just ahead of the release of technical data from the Global Stocktake; expected to show a severe divergence from the Paris Agreement and keeping 1.5°C within reach by 2030.

2023 marks the first year for ACS. Co-hosted by the Republic of Kenya and the African Union Commission, it convened national leaders from across Africa and the world and leading figures from business, policy and civil society to design and catalyse solutions to address climate change in Africa and the world.

It ultimately led to leaders from across the continent unanimously adopting the 'Nairobi Declaration', which will now provide the basis of Africa's negotiating position at November's COP28 summit.

Its contents align with many of the ambitions of the COP28 Presidency's 4-Point Plan of Action, including a call on the global community to fulfil its obligations on matters such as accelerating efforts to reduce emissions to align with the Paris Agreement goals and honouring the commitment to $100 billion in annual climate finance. It also commits African leaders to develop and implement policies, regulations and incentives to attract investment in green growth and an inclusive economy.

The COP28 Presidency welcomed the Nairobi Declaration, which recognised it as a "clear statement of Africa's determination and climate leadership" and committed to continue working with African leaders - and others from the Global South - to build on the achievements of Nairobi and deliver transformative results at the COP28.

The full COP28 UAE Presidency leadership team consists of Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and President-Designate for COP28; Shamma Al Mazrui, Youth Climate Champion; Razan Al Mubarak, UN Climate Change High-Level Champion; Ambassador Majid Al Suwaidi, Director-General of COP28; and Adnan Amin, CEO of COP28.

COP28 President Designate Dr. Al Jaber initiated the team's presence at ACS in a speech during the high-level opening of the Summit, in which he detailed the COP28 UAE Presidency's vision for a successful transition to a better climate future.

At the forefront of the speech was his announcement of a new clean energy investment initiative from the UAE in partnership with Africa 50 to deploy $US4.5 billion in blended public and private finance to clean energy projects across Africa.

The Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) and the Etihad Credit Insurance (ECI) are kickstarting this initiative by funding the initial investment to catalyse private sector action. ADFD is supporting with US$1 billion of financial assistance to address basic infrastructure needs, offer innovative finance solutions and increase mobilisation of private investments.

The ECI is providing US$500 million of credit insurance to de-risk and unlock private capital – further demonstrating ECI's commitment towards global sustainable development.

Masdar, one of the world's largest clean energy companies, active in 22 African countries, is committing an additional US$2 billion of equity as part of the new initiative. AMEA Power is targeting 5GW of renewable energy capacity in the continent by 2030, mobilising US$5 billion, of which US$1 billion will come from equity commitment and US$4 billion from project finance.

Africa 50 will connect the initiative to local implementing partners, attract additional finance streams and help to build a pipeline of viable, bankable projects. As a whole, the initiative will prioritise investments in countries across Africa with clear transition strategies, enhanced regulatory frameworks and a master plan for developing grid infrastructure that integrates supply and demand.

The initiative will sit under the umbrella of Etihad 7, a development platform championed by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and launched by the UAE at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week in 2022. Etihad 7 aims to provide 100 million people across the African continent with clean electricity by 2035.

Commenting on the announcement, Dr. Al Jaber said, "Africa is taking the lead in building a climate-resilient, sustainable future but to unlock the continent's full potential, available, accessible and affordable finance is essential. According to the African Development Bank, $250 billion annually is needed to meet Africa's climate finance gap, yet Africa only receives 12% of that amount, and less than 2% of that is going to adaptation. This initiative aims to change that and unlock Africa's capacity for green growth."

Dr. Al Jaber was equally emphatic in his speech about the wider COP28 Presidency vision for the international community on international climate finance and adaptation. In particular, he called for full engagement at the COP28 days for health; nature and food, agriculture and water, highlighting the tabling of a 'Leaders Declaration on Food and Climate'.

He commented, "Donors must fulfill their decade-old 100-billion-dollar pledge, replenish the green climate fund, double adaptation finance by 2025, and turn the Global Goal on Adaptation into tangible action. Early pledges for the loss and damage fund are also needed to help vulnerable nations recover from climate impacts."

An important message echoed across the full COP28 UAE Presidency team during ACS was that although Africa has done the least to cause climate change, it is suffering some of its worst consequences. At the same time, it is also showing great leadership and progress in climate-first development.

Young people will be essential to this leadership – by 2030, young Africans will make up 42% of the global youth population. As such, Al Mazrui, COP28 Youth Climate Champion, had an important role at ACS, driving greater youth engagement in the COP28 process.

During ACS, she met with 11 African delegates from COP28's flagship programme, the International Youth Climate Delegates Programme, to hear their ideas, aspirations, and concerns. She also attended multiple meetings and engagements and spoke at the high-level opening of the Youth Affiliated Event to enhance meaningful youth engagement and participation in climate policymaking.

Al Mazrui said, "The COP28 Presidency is committed towards youth inclusion and empowerment, and as we approach COP28, it is critical that we continue to listen and engage with youth from the Global South. Africa is home to the youngest population in the world, and it is essential that we bring their voices to the table to make climate action a reality."
Adaptation was also a major focus of the COP28 team during their time in Nairobi.

Mariam AlMheiri, Minister of Climate Change and the Environment, who also attended ACS, spoke of the importance of aligning the food and climate agendas and the challenges involved in feeding a rapidly growing population.

"At the heart of COP28's mission is the vital task of integrating food systems into our climate policy framework and encouraging nations and non-state actors to pledge commitments to drive systemic transformation. We urge countries to commit to incorporating food systems into their revised Nationally Determined Contributions by 2025, placing food systems at the forefront of their climate policies," she said.

This focus on adaptation was also taken forward by the UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for COP28, Razan Al Mubarak, who took part in a series of events focusing on nature-based solutions for climate action, investments for nature and inclusion.

Al Mubarak, who highlighted the vast potential of protecting Africa's carbon sinks from forests to peatlands, said, "The twin threats of climate change and nature's decline have never been more apparent. We must take urgent action. I call on all non-state actors to integrate nature into climate transition plans, channel investments into nature-based solutions and establish science-based climate and nature targets."

Whilst in Nairobi, the COP28 leadership team also had the opportunity to connect with individuals facing challenging circumstances linked to climate change. Dr. Al Jaber, Al Mazrui and Al Mubarak visited the Kibera to meet individuals whose lives are profoundly affected by climate change. Here, they spoke with residents living in extreme poverty, grappling with the consequences of severe flooding and learnt how the community is working to fight climate change.

Ambassador Al Suwaidi also visited the Dadaab refugee camp and announced a new 'Pact on Fragility', developed in collaboration with Kenya and Germany. Due to be launched at COP28 during its dedicated day on 'relief, recovery and peace', it seeks to drive more and better finance to countries experiencing the double challenge of climate change and conflict and support much-needed adaptation and resilience-building.

"The Pact on Fragility aims to mobilise international support for people facing the dual challenges of conflict and climate change. It calls for concrete initiatives to remove barriers to climate action and finance, advocating for flexible procedures, scaled-up risk mitigation and conflict sensitivity. As well as featuring in our agenda for COP28, the climate and security nexus is something that the UAE is prioritising throughout its time on the UN Security Council." he said.

Ambassador Al Suwaidi participated in an event focused on the Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM), noting the COP28 Presidency's recognition of the VCM as a vital yet underutilised tool in advancing climate action. He noted that the carbon market opportunity in Africa is significantly underrealised, with less than 2/3 of Africa's credits coming from only five countries and with almost all projects focused on just two sectors: energy and forestry/land use.

Amin also spoke on the global need to accelerate access to sustainable cooling, and invited countries and organisations to become the first 'Cooling Champions' ahead of a Global Cooling Pledge at COP28.

"The Global Cooling Pledge seeks to set collective targets to improve energy efficiency, promote climate-friendly cooling approaches, and expand access to sustainable cooling for vulnerable populations. Today, we extend an invitation to countries and organisations to become the world's first 'Cooling Champions' to drive progress on this agenda before COP28, when we aim to have 100 countries sign up to the Pledge with a clear plan of action with partners across sectors." he said.

Dr. Al Jaber also took part in an IEA Dialogues meeting with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and Executive Director of the IEA, Dr. Fatih Birol, in which all three parties called on ministers present to pledge their support to the global effort to triple renewable energy capacity to 11,000 GW by 2030 and double global energy efficiency improvements annually by the same date.

Overall, ACS represented a major moment for the COP28 UAE Presidency to not only announce new initiatives, but to also meet with African leaders and leading figures from business, policy and civil society.

In particular, Dr. Al Jaber held bilateral meetings with the Presidents of Kenya, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, and Senegal, as well as leaders of the African Development Bank, Africa 50 and Dr. Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the IEA.

Discussions revolved around mobilising broader support for the COP28 agenda, addressing vulnerability to climate change impacts, garnering support for the hydrogen agenda, accelerating financing for adaptation efforts, and pursuing outcomes related to nature conservation packages.

The COP28 leadership team's visit to ACS reflects the Presidency's determination to bring people together to combat the climate crisis and build a more sustainable future. It also signified the team's commitment to the African continent as a major actor in a better climate future.

It marked the first in a series of major international meetings for the team in the run-up to COP28, which includes the United Nations General Assembly later this month and Pre-COP in October.