African Group Seeks COP31 Agenda Slot on Adaptation Finance
By News

African negotiators have asked the UN to open formal space at COP31 for talks on adaptation finance, trade and the Green Climate Fund (GCF), according to Climate Home News. The request could produce a dispute over the agenda when the summit opens in Antalya, Türkiye, on 9 November. It matters to the sector because the outcome will influence how much money reaches climate adaptation programmes across Africa, and how soon, at a time when aid budgets are under pressure.

What the African Group is asking for

Climate Home News reports that Ghana, which chairs the African Group of Negotiators this year, wrote to UN climate chief Simon Stiell requesting three additional agenda items: tripling adaptation finance, trade and climate change, and the financing arrangements of the GCF.

The first request stems from COP30 in Belém, where countries agreed to “at least triple” adaptation finance for developing countries by 2035. That deal did not set a baseline year or headline amount, nor did it say who should pay or how delivery would work. In the letter, group chair Antwi-Boasiako Amoah argued that “a dedicated item is needed”, saying the mid-year talks in Bonn had shown that countries could not agree how or where to take the goal forward.

Those Bonn talks ended without an adaptation agreement. Climate Home News reports that developing countries tried to anchor the target in the Global Goal on Adaptation negotiations, while the EU, UK and Japan led opposition, arguing that adaptation finance belongs elsewhere. The EU’s agreed COP31 position reaffirms the tripling call but frames it within the finance goal agreed at COP29 in Baku.

The outcome is uncertain. At the time of the report, no other developing-country group had officially backed the proposal. Raju Pandit Chhetri, lead climate finance negotiator for the least developed countries, told the outlet that a stand-alone item would be hard to secure, though he said the issue must be discussed somewhere in the formal talks. Agenda items must be adopted at the start of the conference and any government can object; disputed items are often moved to presidency-led consultations.

A wider African push

The letter follows similar positions elsewhere on the continent. The Climate Watch reports that eight East African Community states validated a common position at a meeting in Machakos, Kenya, from 29 September to 3 October. It calls for adaptation finance to be tripled by 2035, better direct access to climate funds, and support that does not add to vulnerable countries’ debt.

In South Africa, Daily Maverick reports that environment minister David Maynier told a national consultation on 16 October that negotiators would seek a benchmark for tripling adaptation finance, along with adequate loss and damage funding. The same report says South Africa has submitted a $20 million proposal to the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage to restore conservation landscapes damaged by floods in January.

What it means for the sector and communities

The Green Climate Fund request is significant for implementing organisations. According to Climate Home News, the letter seeks to revive a 2013 provision for periodic assessment of developing countries’ funding needs, and the fund’s next replenishment round, covering 2028 to 2031, began in July. The report adds that the UK told the fund in May that it would deliver only half of its £1.62bn pledge for the current period.

The scale of the gap is expected to come back into focus this week. Climate Home News says the UN Environment Programme is due to publish its annual Adaptation Gap Report in Nairobi on 4 November. Last year’s edition estimated that developing countries need $310 to 365 billion a year by 2035, which it put at 12 to 14 times current international flows.

For communities, these negotiations remain distant from daily life, but the stakes are concrete. The Climate Watch cites World Meteorological Organization findings that African countries lose 2 to 5% of GDP each year to climate extremes, and that some divert up to 9% of national budgets to disaster response.

What this means for NGO job seekers

Agenda disputes do not create jobs by themselves, and no new funding has been announced as a result of this request. Even so, the direction of the debate suggests where organisations may want to build capacity. Professionals interested in this field could consider developing:

  • Climate finance and proposal skills: familiarity with the requirements of the GCF and the loss and damage fund, including direct-access routes for national institutions.
  • Adaptation monitoring: Climate Home News notes that negotiators will track progress against 59 Global Goal on Adaptation indicators, so experience with results frameworks and climate data is relevant.
  • Policy and advocacy: the ability to translate negotiating outcomes into national plans and programme design.
  • Technical programme delivery: climate-resilient agriculture, water management and disaster risk reduction.

Those starting a search can browse current NGO jobs or look by location through our NGO jobs by country directory, including Ghana, Kenya and South Africa. Our career resources offer guidance on presenting technical experience in applications.

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