An integrated approach to tracking climate finance across the African continent: How do we get it right?

Development Initiatives (DI) and the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) are organising a joint side event to offer insight into the issues with tracking public climate finance. Speakers from African governments, civil society, UN and Africa Union will share their perspectives and experiences on the challenges and opportunities for increasing the transparency and accountability of climate finance in order to measure progress.

Our expert panellists will lead a conversation around developing tracking methodologies that can create better and more consistent reporting. They will consider practical recommendations to ensure that Africa’s negotiating positions at the forum are supported by data and evidence.

Anyone participating in the regional forum is welcome, no need to register. If you have any questions or accessibility requirements, please contact Martha Bekele, DI’s Delivery, Quality & Impact Lead.

Agenda

4.00, Introductions and agenda setting by moderator

4.10, Panel Session 1: Framing critical issues in climate finance and a pan-African approach to resolving this issue 

Panellists:

• Dr. Mithika Mwenda, Executive Director, PACJA
• Chihenyo Kagara, Regional Manager, GCF
• H.E. Dr. Joyce Banda, Former President of the Republic of Malawi
• Harsen Nyambe, Director, Sustainable Environment and Blue Economy (SEBE), AUC

Moderator

• Leah Wanambwa, Senior Policy Officer, Climate Change, AUC

4.40, Panel Session 2: Measures and approaches for enhanced tracking of climate finance for enhanced accountability for adaptation action in Africa

Setting the scene:  What is the available evidence telling us? Martha Bekele, Development Initiatives 

Panellists:

• Titi Akosa, Center for 21 Century/ GCF Gender Monitor
• Nicholas Abuya, Global Programme Resilience Advisor, Christian Aid
• Koffi Afandi Koumassi, Sustainable Solutions for Africa
• Representative from Africa Union Commission
• Julius Karanja, Climate Change Lead, ACT Alliance
• Dr. Olufunso Somorin, Regional Principal Officer, AfDB

Moderator

• Obed Koringo, Climate Policy Advisor, CARE

Question, answers and comments  

5.50, Wrap up Session: Summary and key messages 

Speakers:

• Marlene Achoki, Global Policy Co-Lead Climate Justice, CARE
• Jessica Mwanzia, Climate Finance Lead, PACJA

Background to this event

The failure to address the worsening impacts of climate change is already contributing to environmental, socioeconomic and political disruption on the African continent. It is globally accepted that those least responsible for the climate crisis are facing the largest and increasingly devastating impacts.

Poor, inconsistent reporting of climate finance and its separation from international development and humanitarian flows undermines the ability of climate, development and crisis advocates to track the delivery of commitments and hold donors to account. It significantly curtails the visibility that climate-vulnerable governments have of flows coming into their country, their ability to plan and manage such flows, and to advocate for more and better financing. It also limits donors’ assessments of the sufficiency of the total scale of international effort against need and the potential for greater coherence across projects, programmes and actors. Moreover, enhanced tracking and reporting will help create a picture of how funding and coordination are plotted across the development and humanitarian nexus, revealing gaps for the most vulnerable people and possible opportunities to strengthen the inputs of local and national actors.

Without a better understanding of climate finance and how it sits with development and humanitarian flows, we cannot achieve much-needed transparency, accountability or coherence, ultimately limiting the effectiveness and impact of climate and other forms of associated international finance.

Climate finance is targeted primarily at state-led priorities identified under the UNFCCC. In the context of protracted crisis, particularly, humanitarian finance is increasingly stretched to respond to climate impacts and build resilience, exacerbated by the lack of coordination. Yet, even where coordination is possible, large funding gaps in the humanitarian and climate sectors make comprehensive coverage a challenge, particularly for funding for fragile and conflict-affected states. Recent analysis by Development Initiatives shows that countries facing protracted crisis that are highly climate-vulnerable have received only US$1 of climate funding per person over the last 20 years.

An increase in climate finance is vital for effective and fair climate action, and will be pursued under the New Collective Quantified Goal on Climate Finance. This is expected to avert, minimise and address the impacts of climate change, and hopefully it will incentivise greater action all round. However, it is impossible to hold countries to account if their spending cannot be measured. Without a standardised approach to accounting and accountability, those most in need will continue to be short-changed.