Advancing Africa’s Position on Global Climate Finance

The policy brief argues that the deadlock in global climate finance is caused by a lack of predictability. It suggests that Africa, through the African Group of Negotiators (AGN), can break this deadlock by demonstrating the credible and effective use of existing funds and by promoting 'win-win' solutions that combine climate adaptation with low-carbon development. The author recommends moving away from unreliable budget support toward off-budget and market-driven financial solutions to ensure sustained funding.

• The lack of predictable financial flows is the primary obstacle to consensus in global climate finance negotiations, hindering the ability of developing countries to plan and deliver long-term climate responses.
• Africa's Group of Negotiators (AGN) is uniquely positioned to lead a breakthrough in climate negotiations because it can present a common position for 54 countries, despite the diversity of their political economies.
• To increase the willingness of international partners to provide finance, African countries must demonstrate credibility by showing they can effectively allocate and spend available resources before requesting more.
• A 'win-win' outcome can be achieved by focusing on adaptation interventions that simultaneously facilitate low-carbon development pathways, such as conservation agriculture which increases yields during droughts while reducing sector emissions.
• Traditional budget support is considered an unreliable source of sustained climate finance due to short-term political life cycles and shifting government commitments; therefore, Africa should prioritize off-budget and market-driven solutions.
• The document identifies four essential conditions for a breakthrough in climate finance: aligning priorities with investor requirements, incentivizing key actors, identifying realistic finance sources, and ensuring credible resource utilization.

APA

Petrie, B. (2015). Advancing Africa’s Position on Global Climate Finance. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Policy-Briefing-137.pdf

Chicago

Petrie, Belynda. Advancing Africa’s Position on Global Climate Finance. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2015. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Policy-Briefing-137.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Petrie |first1=Belynda |title=Advancing Africa’s Position on Global Climate Finance |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=June 2015 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Policy-Briefing-137.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{petrie2015advancing, author = {Petrie, Belynda}, title = {{Advancing Africa’s Position on Global Climate Finance}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2015}, month = jun, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Policy-Briefing-137.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }