Pan-African Parliament Advocates for Stronger Parliamentary Leadership in Advancing Africa’s Climate Agenda

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The Pan-African Parliament (PAP) is participating in the Fourteenth Conference on Climate Change and Development in Africa, taking place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 7 to 9 September 2026. Organised by the Climate for Development in Africa Programme of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the Conference is being held under the theme “From Pledges to Implementation: The Belém–Antalya–Addis Roadmap.” It brings together African policymakers, climate negotiators, parliamentarians, development partners, experts and other stakeholders to advance coordinated action on climate-resilient and low-emission development and strengthen Africa’s strategic engagement towards COP31.
The PAP delegation is led by Hon. Dr. Ashebir Gayo, First Vice-President, and comprises Hon. Abdallah Barkat, Member of the PAP Committee on Rural Economy, Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources, and technical staff from the PAP Secretariat.
On 7 September, during a session titled “From Climate Priorities to Climate Agency: What Would Africa’s Climate Leadership in Global Climate Governance Actually Mean?”, Hon. Dr. Ashebir Gayo delivered a parliamentary perspective highlighting the critical role of African parliaments in translating climate commitments into national legislation, budgets, programmes and effective implementation.
He stressed that Africa should move beyond participation in global climate processes towards greater climate agency, including by developing and advancing African solutions that reflect the continent’s circumstances, priorities and development aspirations.
The First Vice-President highlighted the PAP’s significant contribution to strengthening Africa’s climate governance, particularly through the development of the PAP Model Law on Climate Change. The initiative aims to provide African Union Member States with an adaptable legislative framework to strengthen national climate legislation and translate regional and international climate commitments into domestic action.
The Model Law addresses key areas including climate governance and planning, mitigation, adaptation and resilience, loss and damage, climate finance, climate-induced displacement, carbon markets, climate information and data governance, regional cooperation, compliance, access to justice and public participation.
Hon. Dr. Gayo further underscored that climate action must be integrated with Africa’s broader development priorities. In this regard, he highlighted the PAP Model Law on Food and Nutrition Security in Africa, adopted in 2022, and the Model Law on Sustainable Soil Management in Africa as complementary legislative instruments supporting resilient food systems, sustainable agriculture, soil conservation, biodiversity, livelihoods and climate adaptation. He emphasised that climate resilience cannot be separated from food systems, land, water and natural-resource governance.
The First Vice-President also stressed the importance of accessible, affordable and predictable climate finance, effective institutions, parliamentary oversight and accountability. He called for stronger cooperation among African parliaments and international parliamentary networks to exchange legislative experiences and advance practical solutions in areas such as climate finance, resilient infrastructure, clean energy, agricultural transformation, natural-resource governance and economic resilience.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Union (AU).