Africa’s positioning in global climate change negotiations

This report by the Institute for Security Studies analyzes the challenges and opportunities for African nations in global climate change negotiations leading up to COP 27. It examines the structural weaknesses in African diplomacy, the complexities of balancing diverse national interests, and the influence of developed nations on climate policy and trade.

• African countries face significant complexities in climate negotiations, including the divide between developed and developing nations regarding 'common but differentiated responsibility' and the internal diversity of African economies, which range from emerging economies to least developed countries.
• Despite having a voice in negotiations, African countries often lack actual influence, remaining 'policy recipients and not formulators' as developed nations implement unilateral policies, such as the EU's carbon border adjustment mechanism, which may force African countries to bear the costs of decarbonization.
• There is a critical disconnect between climate diplomacy and trade policy; while the WTO governs the diffusion of climate-friendly technologies and trade-related climate measures, very few African countries have a voice at the WTO, and those that do often prioritize individual economic interests over collective African positions.
• African climate diplomacy is hampered by internal distrust, particularly regarding the influence of a 'trio' consisting of South Africa, Egypt, and Nigeria when they speak for the continent, as well as a lack of coordination between the African Union Commission (AUC), the African Ministerial Council on the Environment (AMCEN), and the African Group of Negotiators (AGN).
• National governance structures in many African countries marginalize climate issues, with environment ministries typically holding less power and fewer resources than finance or trade ministries, leading to a lack of domestic implementation of climate commitments.
• The report identifies a gap in the participation of non-state actors, noting that African businesses, financial institutions, and labor unions are underrepresented at global events; as of December 2017, organizations from African states accounted for only 9.3% of admitted observer organizations to the UNFCCC.
• The African Union's Agenda 2063 lacks a dedicated flagship project for climate change or the environment, and the report forecasts that delivering the agenda under current trajectories could increase Africa's contribution to global carbon emissions from 9% to 12% by 2043 and nearly 30% by 2063.
• International donors are accused of using aid and climate finance to influence African countries for their own gains, exemplified by the UK's Prosperity Fund requiring 'secondary benefits' for the UK and the imposition of net-zero targets as a condition for the Development Bank of Southern Africa's re-accreditation to the Green Climate Fund.
• To improve agency for COP 27 and beyond, the report proposes a 'pyramid of climate resilience capacity' focusing on four building blocks: augmenting the knowledge base, developing sectoral agency, building an innovation pipeline, and facilitating a multi-stakeholder African climate change dialogue.

APA

Naidoo, D., & Gulati, M. (2022). Africa’s positioning in global climate change negotiations. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/cop27.pdf

Chicago

Naidoo, Dhesigen, and Manisha Gulati. Africa’s positioning in global climate change negotiations. Institute for Security Studies, 2022. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/cop27.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Naidoo |first1=Dhesigen |last2=Gulati |first2=Manisha |title=Africa’s positioning in global climate change negotiations |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=2022 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/cop27.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{naidoo2022africas, author = {Naidoo, Dhesigen and Gulati, Manisha}, title = {{Africa’s positioning in global climate change negotiations}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2022}, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/cop27.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }