Amplifying the Global South’s Voice on Climate Finance at COP29

On the sidelines of the 2024 UN Climate Conference (COP29), Amref Health Africa and the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) co-hosted the event “Advancing Political Commitments on Climate and Health Financing: Where is the Global South Voice?” The session highlighted the urgent need for climate finance dedicated to health resilience in Africa, positioning health as a fundamental component of climate adaptation. The discussions revealed critical financing gaps, showcased success stories, and called for coordinated action to protect vulnerable communities across the Global South from escalating climate impacts.

Health at the Centre of Climate Finance

Dr Mithika Mwenda, Executive Director of PACJA, opened with a powerful message on the historical sidelining of health in climate discussions. “Historically, health has been sidelined in global climate discussions, with sectors like agriculture, energy, and transport often prioritised,” he stated. However, as climate-linked crises—such as floods, heatwaves, and disease outbreaks—increase, Dr Mwenda stressed that climate finance must now prioritise health. He called for accessible, flexible, and responsive funding mechanisms that can quickly address emerging health crises, underscoring the event’s core message: climate finance must reflect the intrinsic link between health and climate resilience.

Hon Prosper Dodiko, Burundi’s Minister of Environment, Agriculture, and Livestock, echoed this sentiment, emphasising that climate change and health are inseparable. “It is challenging to discuss climate change without considering the health of our people,” he said, commending Amref’s leadership in advancing this integration at COP29 and beyond. For Hon Dodiko, tackling climate and health together requires a clear, consistent roadmap, particularly around financing, to ensure tangible outcomes.

Dr Gustave Aboua, Director General at Côte d’Ivoire’s Ministry of Environment, pointed out the financial strain on national budgets from health spending, highlighting the essential role of partnerships. “Health financing remains a significant burden on the national budget, making partnerships essential,” he noted, emphasising the need for strong collaborations to tackle public health challenges like malaria. Dr Aboua called for climate finance to align with national health priorities, advocating for an integrated approach.

Reiterating the challenge, Prof Brama Koné from the WHO Africa Regional Office outlined the vast funding gap that remains: while $220 billion per year is needed for climate adaptation by 2030, only $63 billion is currently available. “Every climate adaptation measure is directly linked to the health and well-being of communities,” he stated, warning that without sufficient funding, the burden on the most vulnerable populations will only increase. Prof Koné also stressed the challenges in measuring health vulnerability and adaptive capacity, advocating for concrete indicators to track progress effectively.

The Urgent Need for Consistency and Transparency in Climate Finance

Martha Bekele from Development Initiatives highlighted the lack of transparency and accountability in climate finance. “There is a glaring lack of consistency in measuring and reporting climate finance,” she observed, describing the funding as unpredictable and unreliable. Bekele criticised the dependency on loans rather than grants, noting that “two-thirds of climate-action ODA to Africa in 2022 came as loans.” She argued that this reliance on debt, often imposed by the contributors to climate change, exacerbates the financial strain on African nations.

A Success Story in Climate Finance: Malawi’s Journey

Despite the challenges, there are success stories. Dr Lilian Chunda, leader of Malawi’s COP29 delegation, shared Malawi’s achievement in securing financing from the Green Climate Fund (GCF). She attributed this success to “strong political commitment, supportive policies, and collaboration across ministries and departments.” The GCF funding has empowered Malawi to develop inclusive solutions for climate resilience, addressing both environmental and socio-economic challenges. Dr Chunda’s experience highlights the importance of government commitment and cross-ministerial collaboration in accessing climate adaptation funds—a valuable lesson for other African nations looking to tap into the GCF.

Reconfiguring Climate Finance for Health Resilience

Benson Simba, Amref’s Director of Social Determinants of Health, and Friday Phiri, Amref’s Climate and Health Advocacy Lead, emphasised the urgent need to recognise climate change as a public health emergency. They urged governments and multilateral agencies to allocate sustained and dedicated funding to address this crisis, highlighting that framing climate change as a health issue is essential for mobilising the resources needed to protect vulnerable populations.

They also underscored the importance of operationalising the Global Goal on Adaptation with a clear focus on health and well-being outcomes. This includes increased investment in research, technical support, and programme development to strengthen climate-health resilience, particularly in Africa. They noted that COP29 presents a pivotal opportunity to address these priorities and drive meaningful action.

The session’s discussions converged on the need to reconfigure climate finance mechanisms to make health funding more accessible, adaptive, and responsive to climate-linked health crises in Africa. The unified message was clear: bridging the climate finance gap, ensuring transparency, and prioritising health within adaptation strategies are essential steps to safeguard the well-being of vulnerable populations across the continent. As the continent continues to feel the weight of climate impacts, COP29 represents a critical opportunity for global health advocates to pile more pressure on world leaders to deliver on their financial commitments to help build a more resilient, healthy future for all. We invite you to check out the full outline of our COP29 side events and advocacy messages here.