– Advertisement –
As delegates gather in Bonn for the 64th Sessions of the Subsidiary Bodies (SB64) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), African civil society organisations have issued a powerful call: the era of climate promises without action must end.
Coordinated under the Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA), the continent’s largest coalition of climate-focused civil society groups, African delegates insist that SB64 must mark a turning point from negotiation to implementation, from rhetoric to justice.
Their message, issued on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, is unequivocal. For Africa, climate change is not a distant threat – it is a daily emergency. And the continent, responsible for less than four per cent of cumulative global emissions, continues to bear the brunt of a crisis it did not create.
A Continent under Siege
Across Africa, climate impacts have intensified at an alarming pace. Prolonged droughts in the Horn of Africa, destructive floods in West and Central Africa, cyclones in Southern Africa, and rising heatwaves across the Sahel have devastated livelihoods and reversed development gains. Food insecurity has deepened, displacement has surged, and fragile ecosystems have deteriorated.
PACJA stresses that these impacts are not abstract projections but lived realities for millions. “Africa can no longer afford another cycle of climate negotiations characterised by delay, dilution and deferral,” the coalition warns.
The organisation argues that the climate crisis in Africa is fundamentally a justice issue – one that demands urgent, equitable, and adequately financed action from the global community.
Mixed Outcomes from Recent COPs
The statement reflects on the outcomes of recent UN climate conferences, acknowledging progress but highlighting persistent gaps.
At COP28 in Dubai, the adoption of the Global Stocktake and the operationalisation of the Loss and Damage Fund were hailed as breakthroughs. For the first time, Parties formally recognised the need to transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems. Yet, PACJA notes that commitments on implementation and finance remained “inadequate and misaligned with the scale of the crisis.”
At COP29 in Baku, Parties agreed on a New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) on climate finance and launched the Baku-to-Belém Roadmap, intended to mobilise US$1.3 trillion annually by 2035 for developing countries. But African civil society groups argue that the public finance commitments embedded in the agreement fall far short of documented needs.
At COP30 in Belém, progress was made on adaptation indicators, but adaptation finance – the lifeline for Africa – remained elusive. The Just Transition Mechanism, while framed in pro-rights language, was criticised for protectionist tendencies that could delay fossil fuel phase-out in developed countries. Most troubling was the failure to agree on a roadmap for transitioning away from fossil fuels, despite overwhelming scientific evidence and strong support from vulnerable nations.
SB64: A Defining Moment
Against this backdrop, PACJA insists that SB64 must not become “another procedural checkpoint” on the road to COP31 in Türkiye. Instead, it must restore trust in the multilateral process and lay the groundwork for decisions that respond to the realities confronting vulnerable populations.
However, African civil society groups expressed alarm at the omission of Loss and Damage and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) from the agenda presented for adoption by the SBI and SBSTA chairs. They echoed the Africa Group of Negotiators, warning that negotiations that exclude these items amount to “an abdication of justice for the victims of climate change.”
Three Priorities for Africa at SB64
PACJA outlines three overarching priorities that African civil society will champion throughout the Bonn sessions.
1. Climate Finance: From Rhetoric to Delivery
The coalition argues that climate action without adequate finance is meaningless. Developing countries face a widening financing gap that undermines adaptation, mitigation, loss and damage responses, and just transition efforts. Many African nations are simultaneously grappling with debt distress, shrinking fiscal space, and escalating climate impacts.
PACJA calls for:
- Full implementation of Article 9.1 of the Paris Agreement, which obliges developed countries to provide financial resources to developing countries.
- Public, grant-based, predictable, and accessible finance, additional to existing development assistance.
- Significant scaling of adaptation finance, directed especially to local communities, women, youth, Indigenous Peoples, and frontline populations.
- Clear delivery frameworks and accountability mechanisms for the NCQG emerging from Belém.
The coalition warns that shifting emphasis to private finance while avoiding discussions on public finance obligations and debt burdens risks entrenching structural inequalities.
2. A Just Transition That Is Truly Just
PACJA rejects narratives that frame decarbonisation solely through emissions reductions while ignoring equity, development, and energy access. With more than 600 million Africans lacking electricity, the coalition insists that a just transition must support:
- Industrialisation
- Job creation
- Skills development
- Energy access
- Economic transformation
The alliance calls for a dedicated financing window for nationally determined just transition pathways and stronger commitments on technology development and transfer. A just transition, they argue, “cannot become another unfunded aspiration.”
3. Adaptation and Resilience at the Centre
For Africa, adaptation is a matter of survival. PACJA stresses that the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) can only succeed if supported by robust means of implementation and indicators that reflect local realities and traditional knowledge.
Adaptation outcomes, they argue, must be measured not only through technical metrics but through improvements in:
- Food security
- Water availability
- Public health
- Ecosystem integrity
- Human wellbeing
Recurring Patterns Undermining Ambition
PACJA expresses deep concern over recurring negotiation patterns that weaken ambition. These include:
- Developed countries’ reluctance to accept legally grounded obligations on climate finance.
- Resistance to acknowledging historical responsibility.
- Attempts to broaden the contributor base in ways that dilute commitments under the Convention.
- Efforts to shift focus to private finance while avoiding discussions on public finance and debt.
The coalition acknowledges the influence of geopolitical tensions but insists that climate justice “cannot become collateral damage in geopolitical rivalries.”
A Call for Leadership and Solidarity
PACJA urges climate envoys, ministers, and negotiators from developed countries to demonstrate leadership commensurate with their historical responsibility and current capabilities. They call for:
- Substantial increases in grant-based climate finance.
- A credible roadmap for delivering the US$1.3 trillion annual finance goal.
- Adaptation finance targets aligned with assessed needs.
- Operationalisation of financing arrangements for just transitions.
- Strengthened technology transfer and capacity-building mechanisms.
- Negotiations anchored in the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities (CBDR-RC).
What Success at SB64 Looks Like for Africa
PACJA argues that the success of SB64 should be judged not by the number of agenda items concluded but by whether the sessions restore confidence in the multilateral process and deliver for those most affected by climate change.
For Africa, favourable outcomes would include:
- Measurable progress on climate finance arrangements.
- Clear pathways for implementing adaptation commitments.
- Strengthened support for just transitions.
- Enhanced accountability mechanisms.
- A negotiating framework that positions COP31 to close implementation gaps rather than widen them.
“Africa Is Not Asking for Charity. Africa Is Demanding Justice.”
The statement ends with a stark reminder: every delay in negotiations translates into lost livelihoods, lost opportunities, and increasingly, lost lives.
“Africa is not asking for charity. Africa is demanding justice,” PACJA declares. The coalition insists that the world has negotiated long enough. The time has come to implement commitments, honour obligations, and place justice at the centre of climate action.
The credibility of the UNFCCC process, they warn, depends on it.
