WHO: African Development Bank Group

WHAT: 25th Conference of the Parties (COP25) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

WHERE: IFEMA, Madrid, Spain

WHEN: 2-13 December 2019

The 25th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) organized and presided over by Chile will take place in Madrid, Spain, from 2 to 13 December 2019.

The 197 Parties that make up the treaty – 196 nations plus the European Union – will seek to move towards the implementation of the agreements that have been reached under the Convention that lays down specific obligations for all Parties to fight climate change.

Having signed and ratified the Paris Agreement, nearly all African countries have committed to enhanced climate action through reducing their greenhouse gas emissions and building resilience. For the continent, adaptation to the adverse impact of climate change is urgent. Now is the time to translate the commitments made by African countries under the Paris Agreement into action, by safeguarding development gains and building resilience against extreme weather events that are increasing in frequency and intensity. 

This annual conference is the single global platform for all nations to negotiate an internationally agreed way forward to combat climate change. It also represents a key event that brings together all the major stakeholders engaged on climate change issues from across governments, private sector and civil society, including the African Development Bank’s main partners in the climate change domain.

Highly represented in previous COP summits, the African Development Bank, the continent’s premier development finance institution, will be present in Madrid to support regional member countries to engage in an informed and effective manner in the negotiations through support to the African group of negotiators and through advocacy to make Africa’s voice heard in the international arena. The Bank has, through its climate change action plan, made important commitments to integrate climate considerations across its operations and to scale up its climate investments in African countries. Last September, the Multilateral Development Banks announced their plan to increase the global climate action investments each year to $175 billion by 2025. In Madrid, the African Development Bank will join the other MDBs to showcase our joint commitment to combatting climate change.

A delegation of experts from the African Development Bank, led by Anthony Nyong, Director of Climate Change and Green Growth, will engage with public and private actors to build and strengthen partnerships to promote climate-resilient and low-carbon development in Africa. The Bank’s experts will participate in different events and hold sessions at the Multilateral Development Banks’ Pavilion about climate finance, building resilience and mainstreaming gender in climate change operations, among other topics.

The MDB Pavilion is the fruit of collaboration between Asian Development Bank (ADB) (www.ADB.org), European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), European Investment Bank (EIB) (www.EIB.org), Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) (www.IsDB.org) and World Bank.

10 December: Africa Day  

10 December marks Africa Day at COP25. This is a celebration jointly organized by the African Development Bank, the African Union, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development.

Africa Day at COP25 will focus on concerted global action on climate change to attain the Africa We Want and it will be held in Room 3 from 18.30-20.00.

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Official hashtag: #AfricaCOP25

Agenda of African Development Bank’s events at the MDB Pavilion:

Tuesday December 3, 2019 - 14:00-15:00

Nature-based Solutions for Climate Resilience

Wednesday December 4, 2019 - 16:00-17:00

Report on the Work of the Adaptation Benefits Mechanism Executive Committee

Thursday December 5, 2019 - 11:30-13:00

Engaging the Private Sector in Financing Adaptation

Friday December 6, 2019 - 10:00-11:30

Climate Resilience Solutions in Africa

Monday December 9, 2019 - 17:00-18:00

Gender and Climate Change in Africa. From Sensitivity to Responsiveness

Tuesday December 10, 2019 - 09:00-10:00

Boosting the development of water and climate projects

Tuesday December 10, 2019 - 11:00-12:00

Building Resilience to Climate and Extreme Weather Events for African SIDS

Thursday December 12, 2019 - 14:00-15:00

New Climate narrative in Africa