New Delhi: African nations on Wednesday said attempts by rich nations to include developing countries in the donor base was the biggest obstacle impeding progress on a new climate finance package, the central issue at this year's climate summit in Azerbaijan. At a press briefing, Ali Mohamed, chair of the African Group of Negotiators, said that according to the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement, developed countries were responsible for providing climate finance to help developing countries cope with climate change.
"This is why we had to reject the earlier draft. The Convention is very clear on the flow of financing. There are established commitments and obligations -- developed countries must lead in providing financing while developing countries are the recipients. This is the core principle of both the Convention and the Agreement and it is not something we are willing to renegotiate. We cannot reopen the Convention and the Agreement for further negotiation," he said.
On Tuesday, developing countries rejected a draft of the new climate finance goal, saying that it did not accurately reflect their concerns. The push by developed countries, including the EU and the US, for some developing nations to contribute to global climate finance is a key reason why progress on the new climate finance package has stalled.
This package is essential for increasing ambition in the updated national climate plans due next year. According to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), high-income, industrialised nations -- referred to as Annex II countries -- are responsible for providing finance and technology to help developing countries address and adapt to climate change. These countries include the US, Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and EU member states such as Germany and France.
Some developed nations, led by the EU and the US, argue that the global economic landscape changed significantly since the adoption of the UNFCCC in 1992. They suggest that nations that have become wealthier during this period, such as China and some Gulf states, should also contribute to the new climate finance goal.
Developing countries view this as an attempt to shift responsibility away from those who have historically benefited from industrialisation and contributed the most to greenhouse gas emissions. They argue that expecting them to contribute -- especially when many are still struggling with poverty and inadequate infrastructure amid worsening climate impacts -- undermines the principle of equity.
Meanwhile, some developed countries on Wednesday acknowledged that trillions of dollars were urgently needed to address climate change and wealthy nations should continue to lead in providing climate finance. They, however, didn't put the onus on developed countries to provide those trillions.
These countries -- including Germany, Canada, France, and the Netherlands -- are part of an alliance known as the High Ambition Coalition, which advocates for bold climate actions.
