Addis ababa: Speaking with one voice will be crucial to unlock the trillion dollars that were pledged to Africa, Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy, and Sustainable Environment at the African Union, Moses Vilakati said. The Second Africa Climate Summit (ACS2) is convening in Addis Ababa under the theme “Accelerating Global Climate Solutions: Financing for Africa’s Resilient and Green Development”.
According to Ethiopian News Agency, one of the core objectives of ACS2 is to accelerate the mobilization of climate finance tailored to Africa’s development context. In an exclusive interview, the Commissioner emphasized the significance of the summit in raising climate financing and highlighted the importance of collaboration between member states and financial institutions to prioritize climate finance on the development agenda.
Furthermore, Vilakati stressed the necessity of presenting a unified front, indicating that a declaration from the summit would be carried forward to COP30 in Brazil. He asserted that unity is essential to unlocking the financial pledges made to Africa, which is disproportionately affected by climate change despite contributing minimally to global emissions.
Vilakati also noted that each country must focus on mobilizing domestic resources and highlighted the critical nature of mitigation initiatives. The second edition of the Africa Climate Summit aims to provide a platform for informing and influencing commitments, pledges, and outcomes while emphasizing the importance of climate financing strategies that address climate change impacts and promote green development.
The summit seeks to unify Africa’s voice in anticipation of COP30, building on the foundations of the first and second Africa Climate Summits to shape global climate negotiations.