Climate Adaptation and The Reform Of The International Financial Architecture: Strategic Pillars Of The Africa-Europe Partnership

Advancing Climate Adaptation is crucial to rebalance the power dynamics between Africa and Europe, and address the growing frustration and mistrust felt by African countries as we move towards COP29 in November 2024 and the 7th AU-EU Summit 2025.

2024 represents a watershed moment for revitalising the Africa-Europe partnership and elevating climate adaptation, both politically and financially, with the foreseen EU-AU Ministerial Meeting (TBD), the new EU political cycle (Q3/Q4 of 2024), the 7th AU-EU Summit 2025, as well as the G7 focus of Italy on Africa and the ongoing reform of the international financial architecture at the G20 level with the AU now being a member. Beyond this, 2024 also marks the start of the Second Ten-Year Implementation Plan of the AU’s Agenda 2063.

The road towards COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, should lead the two continents towards adaptation mainstreaming and greater alignment on issues - ranging from the reality of delivering on the $100bn unmet target on climate finance, the global goal on adaptation (GGA), the delivery plan for the doubling of adaptation finance by 2025, to the operationalisation of the Loss & Damage Fund, and early steps towards the new collective quantified goal (NCQG) on climate finance (post-2025), and greater parity of mitigation and adaptation finance given pressing needs.

AEF’s work on climate adaptation has also exposed the need to further mainstream monitoring of pledges made and tracking commitments ahead of 2025 with the 7th AU-EU Summit. AEF, through its focus on tracking and monitoring commitments made by AU-EU leaders will keep encouraging both continents to fulfil existing commitments, while making sure that existing initiatives such as the Team Europe Initiative for Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience in Africa truly deliver.

This report, comprised of 5 policy briefs, intends to inform and support engagement with African and European policymakers, and stimulate thinking and practice on enhancing cross-continental cooperation on adaptation.

The policy briefs were prepared before and after COP28 in 2023 and 2024. They cover topics including building collaboration for better adaptation, bridging the Africa and European adaptation finance agendas, reinforcing the adaptation-health nexus, and the critical role to be played by the Africa-Europe partnership in making progress on Adaptation.

This final report brings together the key points from the policy briefs and makes recommendations for future action and an enhanced Africa-Europe Adaptation Partnership.