On 1 September, CABRI joined UNDP Africa, the African Union Commission (AUC) and NDC-Partnership for an exchange on climate adaptation financing as part of Africa Climate Week 2022, which was held in Gabon from 29 August to 2 September.

Background:

As Africa embarks on inclusive green and resilient COVID-19 recovery, countries need adaptation finance more than ever. They also need capacity to implement evidence-based policies and access to technology to tackle climate change threats. COP 26 gave a focus on adaptation and the finance required to support vulnerable countries. The new collective quantified goal (NCQG) on climate finance seeks to increase adaptation finance targets. To ensure that domestic and international adaptation finance is used effectively, many countries are pursuing climate mainstreaming initiatives, to integrate climate change into planning and budgeting.

In 2018, UNDP conducted a review of Africa’s Public Expenditure (APEA) which produced an estimate of the adaptation financing gap at country level using a practical and common methodology based on data from national budgets compiled through Climate Public Expenditure and Institutional Reviews (CPEIRs). The 2018 APEA report revealed that African countries are already spending between 2-9 percent of GDP on adaptation from their limited national budgets - which represents more than other public services expenditures such as healthcare and education. This was significantly higher than the adaptation resource flows from international sources. UNDP is conducting an updated analysis to develop a 2022 APEA report with the aim of informing negotiations at COP 27 and the NCQG and assisting with the evolution of common frameworks for climate mainstreaming and financing frameworks for NDCs.

The objectives of the session were:

• To share initial findings from the updated public expenditure on adaption (APEA) analysis and discuss the usefulness of this research and complementarity with other Africa regional analyses
• To reflect on the APEA methodology and discuss the report’s relevance for climate mainstreaming initiatives and NDC financing frameworks for NDCs
• To discuss the report’s relevance for the NCQG and develop preliminary recommendations for COP 27