AFRICA @COP30: GGA INDICATORS ADOPTION HANGS IN THE BALANCE

As the first week of COP30 climate negotiations closed, there remains outstanding issues yet to be resolved.

One of the key agenda items yet to be agreed by parties is the adoption of the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) indicators, and the SBs agreed to the Chairs’ proposal to forward the matter for further consideration by the seventh session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA 7) on the basis of draft text.

African Group of Negotiators on Climate Change (AGN) Lead Coordinator, Kulthoum Omari Motsumi, who is also Africa Adaptation Initiative (AAI) Technical Advisor, summarized the deadlock on the GGA and highlighted Africa’s position:

“As it stands, we have not agreed on how we will move forward on the indicators. There still remains a lot of differences amongst parties. In particular, for the Africa group, we don’t see the indicators as fit for purpose; we would like to see that the indicators are aligned with the provisions and principles of the convention and the Paris Agreement. We don’t want to see the indicators shaping the discussions on adaptation finance moving forward because, if the indicators include reporting on domestic budget for adaptation; that is problematic as it shifts the burden from developed countries to developing countries...As a group, we believe we need to create a space as parties for a process where we agree that the indicators we are taking forward are aligned with national policies and provisions of the convention.”

During the evening stocktaking plenary, COP30 President, André Corrêa do Lago informed delegates on the way forward during the second week of the conference, explaining that negotiations will continue in three tracks that will inform one another: ministerial consultations on issues that would benefit from political guidance; further technical work on outstanding issues, to conclude on Tuesday, 18 November; and continued Presidency consultations, including on cooperation with other international organisations.

And one of the Ministerial consultations will look at GGA and will be co-facilitated by Ministers Rohey John Manjang of the Gambia and Jochen Flasbarth of Germany.

Other ministerial consultations include:

• matters relating to the Global Stocktake (GST), to be co-facilitated by Minister Andreas Bjelland Eriksen of Norway and another minister to be confirmed;

• finance, to be co-facilitated by Ministers Ed Miliband of the United Kingdom (UK) and Deborah Mlongo Barasa of Kenya);

• mitigation, to be co-facilitated by Ministers Sara Aagesen of Spain and Ambassador Wael Aboulmagd of Egypt;

• just transition, to be co-facilitated by Alicia Bárcena of Mexico and Krzysztof Bolesta of Poland;

• technology, to be co-facilitated by Chris Bowen of Australia and Bhupender Yadav of India; and

• gender, to be co-faciliated by Maisa Rojas of Chile and Helena Dyrssen of Sweden.

COP30 is set to close on 21st November, 2025.