President Macky Sall's candidacy for the office of UN Secretary-General takes a position on climate adaptation backed by figures. Africa is home to nearly one fifth of humanity and accounts for less than 3% of the world's energy-related CO2 emissions, the lowest per capita of any region, according to the International Energy Agency. The continent that emitted least endures the harshest effects.

Action already under way. On 5 September 2022, as chair of the African Union, President Macky Sall co-chaired, with former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the first world summit devoted to accelerating adaptation in Africa. The summit rallied support behind a programme aiming at twenty-five billion dollars of investment: food security, resilient infrastructure, access to finance.

Adaptation is worth as much as mitigation. Climate finance goes first to cutting emissions. For a continent that produces few, the priority shifts: protecting harvests, coasts and cities against disruption already here. A useful multilateralism ranks adaptation with mitigation, and pays what it promised.

Cost it, date it, verify it. The method counts as much as the principle. Start from facts, put numbers on needs, put dates on commitments, then hold every party to account. A financing pledge with no deadline and no follow-up protects no one. The trust of exposed countries is won on payments observed, not on summit announcements.

An equation that reaches beyond Africa. Small island states, Asia's deltas and Latin America's drylands face the same rule: those who emitted least pay the most. Carrying adaptation onto the agenda of peace means speaking for all of them.

Experience in running a state. Twelve years as head of state and the chairmanship of the African Union in 2022 underpin these commitments. That experience explains why the vision statement filed with the United Nations frames its proposals as obligations: peace, security and development conceived together; a renewed multilateralism; stronger governance of the Organization.

Africa at its heart, the world in its sights.

The International Energy Agency's data and the 2022 summit commitments are public. Read all public positions at www.mackysall.net