By: Luganda David Nsiyonna – NECJOGHA Reporter
ADDIS ABABA – In a powerful joint statement, UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell and Ethiopia’s Minister of Planning and Development, H.E. Dr. Fitsum Assefa, today called on the upcoming Africa Climate Summit (ACS2) to send a clear and unequivocal message: the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30) must deliver ambitious, on-the-ground results for African nations.
The statement, released as Climate Week in Africa concludes, highlights the continent’s immense, yet largely untapped, potential for climate action. With the world’s youngest population, abundant natural resources, and vast renewable energy opportunities, Africa is positioned to lead. However, the statement notes a critical disparity: while global clean energy investments reached a record $2 trillion last year, only a fraction of this capital is flowing to African countries. Similarly, adaptation efforts remain underfunded, despite their proven ability to protect communities and drive development.
The statement acknowledges key agreements from recent COPs including the Loss and Damage fund (COP27), the global goal on adaptation (COP28), and the commitment to triple climate finance (COP29). Yet, it emphasizes that these pledges must now be converted into tangible outcomes.
“To realize these benefits, COP30 must take the next concrete steps forward,” the statement reads, “with ambitious outcomes which convert agreements into results on the ground, and scalable solutions which drive a new era of implementation.”
The joint statement serves as a strategic precursor to the Second Africa Climate Summit, scheduled for next week in Addis Ababa. The summit is described as a critical platform for African leaders to “project climate leadership that is impossible to ignore,” and to set the global stage for a successful COP30.
The ACS2 is an unmissable opportunity to send a message loud and clear.
During the Climate Week, Ethiopia also announced its bid to host the COP32 UN Climate Conference in 2027.
“We have the capacity, the facilities, the location, the connectivity to host the much-anticipated climate summit,” Ethiopian President H.E. Taye Atske-Selassie said.
The core message is simple and urgent: “Africa is ready to supercharge climate action. But COP30 must ensure Africa is fully enabled to do so.
In short: COP30 must deliver for Africa and its 1.5 billion people.” The leaders underscore that empowering Africa to take bold climate action is not just about continental prosperity, but about strengthening the entire global economy and lifting up all 8 billion people on Earth.
Read the full Joint Statement at this link: Joint statement by UN Climate Change and the Government of Ethiopia | UNFCCC
