COP30 got underway in Brazil on Monday. (@antonioguterres/X)
As the United Nations annual climate change conference (COP30) got underway in Belém, Brazil, on Monday, Africa arrived with a “shared vision and demand for real delivery on climate commitments”.
In a policy brief, Power Shift Africa, a Nairobi-based climate and energy think tank, is urging both the COP30 presidency and African negotiators to make this summit a turning point — from promises to practice and from ambition to implementation.
More than a decade after the Paris Agreement — a legally-binding international treaty on climate change — reshaped global climate governance, Power Shift Africa said COP30 must now prove that the multilateral system can deliver real results for all.
While the first Global Stocktake at COP28 in Dubai and the new global finance goal agreed at COP29 in Baku were milestones, the analysis warns that “words alone will not avert catastrophe”. The Global Stocktake, held every five years, measures the world’s collective progress under the Paris Agreement.
The task for Belém, the policy brief said, is to make climate ambition real, fair and felt in people’s daily lives. Africa’s position is not about seeking special treatment, but demanding fairness, consistency and delivery.
The continent is warming at twice the global average, despite contributing the least to the crisis. Africa’s adaptation needs already exceed $70 billion a year, yet it receives only about $15 billion annually. Losses and damages from climate effects could reach $290 billion to $440 billion between 2020 and 2030.
Against that backdrop, Africa is calling for a tripling of adaptation finance — beyond the existing pledge to double by 2030 — and for a process to assess needs and funding beyond that date. It also wants clear indicators to measure adaptation progress and significantly increased resources for the new Loss and Damage Fund.
The policy brief calls for the operationalisation of Article 9.1 of the Paris Agreement as a binding financial obligation for developed countries; the establishment of a technology implementation programme to remove barriers to innovation in the Global South and the creation of a Belém action mechanism and a just transition technical assistance network to help developing countries design and finance equitable transitions.
“The world no longer needs more promises, but proof that climate multilateralism can still deliver – and deliver for all,” said the founder and director of Power Shift Africa, Mohamed Adow.
“If COP30 is to be remembered as the ‘Implementation COP’, it must also be remembered as the moment Africa helped re-anchor the global climate regime in fairness, solidarity and accountability.”
The summit must not only recognise Africa’s disproportionate vulnerability, but act on the historic responsibility to support its adaptation and resilience, Adow said.
“Africa is not arriving in Belém empty-handed. We bring solutions, renewable energy potential and a vision for climate justice rooted in fairness and shared prosperity. What we need now is delivery of finance, technology and trust,” he added.
The report urges the COP30 presidency to uphold transparency, inclusivity and accountability — and resist the rise of side deals and unilateral trade measures that undermine the United Nations process.
It also calls on the African Group of Negotiators to maintain unity across finance, adaptation and trade, warning that fragmentation would weaken the continent’s position.
Inclusive participation is another key demand: African governments should ensure that civil society, farmers, fishers, youth, indigenous peoples and women are represented in national delegations.
The brief also highlights the importance of South-South cooperation, saying Africa should deepen alliances with developing-country blocs such as the G77 + China, BASIC and the Alliance of Small Island States to push for predictable finance, fair trade rules and technology access.
Power Shift Africa notes that COP30 — which marks 10 years since the Paris Agreement — takes place amid overlapping crises: slowing growth, rising protectionism and shrinking fiscal space for climate action. This, it argues, makes delivery — not diplomacy — the defining test of global cooperation.
“Ultimately, COP30 offers Africa a moment to reaffirm that climate action must be both ambitious and just,” the analysis said. “Implementation cannot be measured only in gigatons of carbon reduced, but in livelihoods protected, communities empowered, and development pathways made sustainable.”
Africa’s engagement in Belém, it concludes, should be guided by a clear vision: a climate regime that delivers real resources, respects sovereignty, promotes fairness and leaves no one behind.
“If Belém is to be remembered as the ‘implementation COP,’ then it must also be remembered as the COP where Africa’s voice shaped the path from promises to practice, where equity moved from principle to reality, and where the foundations of a more just global climate order were strengthened for the decades ahead.”
South Africa’s delegation is led by Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister Dion George, who is co-chairing adaptation negotiations at the summit alongside Germany’s state secretary for economic cooperation and development Jochen Flasbarth.
George’s position has been under review following reports that his Democratic Alliance party’s leader, John Steenhuisen, has requested his removal, but he continues to serve in the role.
“This is the time for the world to act,” George said at COP30. “Every decision in Belém must come with a clear plan for implementation, financing and accountability. People and communities living with the daily reality of climate change cannot wait any longer.
“Adaptation is about building resilience. It’s how we prepare for the storms, droughts and rising seas that are already reshaping our world.”
Negotiators aim to agree on a set of global indicators to measure real progress on adaptation. “We must be able to track our success and hold ourselves accountable. Without measurable results, there can be no credibility,” said George.
He warned that global cooperation is under pressure but reaffirmed South Africa’s commitment to multilateralism. “No nation can face this crisis alone. Together we can find solutions that are fair, practical and lasting.”
South Africa’s priorities include advancing the $1.3 trillion in climate finance agreed at COP29, finalising the Global Goal on Adaptation through the Belém Work Programme and ensuring that the Loss and Damage Fund supports the most vulnerable.
“COP30 must deliver real outcomes for people and the planet,” George added.