BREAKİNG NEW GROUND: THE AFRİCAN UNİON'S PİONEERİNG APPROACH TO CLİMATE RESİLİENCE İN THE NEXT DECADE

Abstract

Climate change poses a profound threat to Africa's sustainable development, despite the continent's minimal contribution to the crisis. To tackle this challenge, the African Union (AU) has adopted a pioneering Climate Change and Resilient Development Strategy for 2022-2032. This strategy, built upon the Green Recovery Action Plan catalyzed by the COVID-19 pandemic, offers a comprehensive framework aligned with international agreements and African priorities. The strategy emphasizes African leadership and ownership, fostering partnerships across governments, organizations, and communities. It prioritizes resilience-building, adaptation, and leveraging Africa's potential for mitigation, while promoting social inclusion and equity. Four strategic axes guide the plan: policy and governance strengthening, resource-efficient industries, climate literacy integration, and social equity promotion. While the strategy sets ambitious goals aligned with global frameworks like the UN's Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement, implementation challenges loom large. Concrete methodologies, implementation mechanisms, and resource mobilization are imperative for translating strategy into action. Member states' commitment is vital for success, necessitating coordinated efforts and support from regional bodies and non-state actors. Monitoring and evaluation mechanisms are integral for tracking progress and refining strategies. By developing results frameworks and ensuring data quality control, the AU can assess effectiveness and identify areas for improvement. Fragmented implementation among member states poses a risk, highlighting the need for synchronized efforts to overcome barriers and achieve uniform progress. Financial support, both internal and external, is critical for realizing the strategy's objectives, necessitating collaboration between African governments and international funding agencies. The AU's Climate Change Strategy for 2022-2032 holds promise for advancing climate resilience and sustainable development in Africa. However, its success hinges on member states' commitment, financial backing, robust monitoring mechanisms, and coordinated implementation efforts. By addressing these key factors, the AU can propel Africa towards a sustainable, prosperous, and climate-resilient future. The study aims to elucidate the African Union's approaches to combating climate change. Employing a literature review methodology, it delineates the African Union's role in addressing climate change for the first time. It identifies that the strategies developed by the African Union, which include formulating action plans and devising strategies, are effective in adapting to and mitigating climate change.This research, conducted through a comprehensive literature review method, concludes that the strategies implemented by the African Union to address the climate crisis have proven to be effective.