The climate finance target announced more than a decade ago was met late and counted generously, and from one summit to the next the payments trail far behind the pledges. As a candidate for UN Secretary-General, President Macky Sall places the financing of climate action among his priorities.
Countries most exposed. The countries that weighed least in emissions are the first to face the droughts and floods that ruin their harvests. They must repair, with limited means, damage for which they bear no responsibility.
Loss and damage. The fund was opened, then endowed with a fraction of what the damage already suffered demands. For the countries affected, the time between the announcement and the transfer is often counted in growing seasons.
Adaptation and emission cuts. Money goes first to projects that cut emissions, rarely to those that protect people already exposed. A country that emits almost nothing mainly has embankments to build and harvests to save.
A public account of pledges. Though he does not sign the cheques himself, the Secretary-General can convene states around their commitments. He can also publish, year after year, the gap between the sums pledged and the sums paid.
The experience of a head of state. Climate negotiations take place between governments, and President Macky Sall comes to them with twelve years as head of state and the chairmanship of the African Union in 2022. That experience explains why the vision statement filed with the United Nations, which conceives peace, security and development together, frames its proposals as obligations.
Africa at its heart, the world in its sights.
The climate finance commitments made at the United Nations are public. Read all public positions at www.mackysall.net