Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 1 May 2026 - The 7th Africa Climate Talks concluded in Addis Ababa with a strong call for Africa to strengthen its negotiating capacity, build wider coalitions, and position COP32 as a decisive moment for climate implementation, accountability and resilience.
Presenting the highlights of the 30th April to 1 May, meeting, Cosmas Ochieng, Director of the Climate Change, Food Security and Natural Resources Division at the Economic Commission for Africa, said the 7th Africa Climate Talks focused on positioning COP32 for success in three priority areas: strengthening Africa’s negotiating capacity; building broader coalitions around implementable outcomes; and advancing measures outside the formal convention process that can support the goals of COP32.
Held on the margins of the 12th African Regional Forum on Sustainable Development ahead of the 2026 COP31 in Türkiye and the 2027 COP32 in Addis Ababa, the meeting brought together African climate negotiators, experts, policymakers, scientists and civil society representatives to consolidate Africa’s post-COP30 climate agenda and define a coordinated continental approach toward future climate negotiations.
The meeting took place at a critical moment for global climate action. With the emissions gap widening, climate impacts intensifying, and trust in international commitments under strain, participants emphasized that the credibility of the multilateral climate process will increasingly depend on delivery, not declarations.
Africa’s hosting of COP32 in Addis Ababa in 2027 was described as a moment of global consequence. Participants noted that the conference was taking place when the international community must demonstrate tangible progress on adaptation, loss and damage, climate finance and the implementation of Global Stocktake outcomes.
The 7th Africa Climate Talks reviewed outcomes from the Second Africa Climate Summit, CCDA-XIII and COP30, examined the implications of the first Global Stocktake for Africa’s forthcoming NDC 3.0 cycle, and discussed finance, adaptation, just transition, carbon markets, and the links between trade and climate.
Participants called for a more structured follow-up process, including working groups to identify critical issues for the negotiating track and prepare analytical papers to guide Africa’s engagement in the lead-up to COP32. They also proposed a dedicated coalition-building process to mobilize support from governments, academia, business, civil society and international partners around practical and measurable outcomes.
Discussions also highlighted the need to connect climate, nature and land agendas while protecting the integrity of the different global conventions. Speakers emphasized the importance of integrated learning spaces, stronger African scientific capacity, and closer links between research institutions, universities and government ministries.
Community ownership emerged as a central theme. Participants stressed that communities should not be treated only as beneficiaries of climate action, but as co-creators of solutions. They called for nature-based solutions that are rights-based, ecologically credible, development-enhancing, and anchored in land tenure, benefit-sharing, local knowledge and gender justice.
On finance and technology, speakers underscored the need for home-grown African carbon solutions, stronger monitoring and traceability systems, fair and interoperable carbon markets, and greater access to green technology as a public good. They also called for increased domestic financing and stronger action to address global misperceptions that constrain investment in Africa.
The 7th Africa Climate Talks reaffirmed that Africa’s role in the global climate process must shift from receiving decisions to shaping implementation. By grounding its approach in science, equity, finance, institutional coordination and development priorities, Africa aims to ensure that COP32 in Addis Ababa delivers concrete progress for the continent and the world.
Issued by:
Communications Section
Economic Commission for Africa
PO Box 3001
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
Tel: +251 11 551 5826
E-mail: eca-info@un.org