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Just Transition Initiative to Address Climate Change in the African Context

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While there is no widely accepted definition of a just transition, there is consensus that it has the potential to address social, economic, and environmental justice concerns. To further understand the role of a just transition and its ability to address climate change in the African context, the African Development Bank Group, with financial and technical support from CIF launched a just transition initiative in December 2021. This initiative aligns with the view of the Climate Investment Funds (CIF) that just transitions to low-carbon and climate-resilient development can create opportunities for environmental sustainability, social equity and economic prosperity and builds upon the following definitions:

For the CIF, the concept of a Just Transition rests on the dual premises that: (a) collective global action is required to address the drivers and effects of climate change, in line with the tenets of the Paris Agreement, and (b) the transformational change needed to address these issues for economies, societies, and the global commons has the potential to negatively impact some actors while positively impacting others.

In Africa, a key development objective is to lift the continent’s population out of poverty.

The African Development Bank Group defines the Just Transition concept as a framework for facilitating equitable access to the benefits and sharing of the costs of sustainable development such that livelihoods of all people, including the most vulnerable, are supported and enhanced as societies make the transition to low carbon and resilient economies. A Just Transition affirms Africa’s right to development and industrialization based on the Paris Agreement-negotiated language of equity and the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, in the light of different national circumstances.

While boosting development is essential, wealth distribution and overall social well-being must also be at the forefront of the development process. Similarly, sustainability and climate action must be prioritized. A just transition can enable African countries to achieve greater redistribution of wealth and ensure that climate action occurs alongside development.

The initiative will hold a series of consultations with a range of African stakeholders to build consensus around a working definition of a just transition that can be effectively put into action. The consultations will also identify impacts of the transition to a low-carbon and climate-resilient economy in Africa and explore potential policies and strategies. The process will also inform future projects by defining the African Development Bank’s role in promoting a just transition in regional member countries.

 Expected outcomes of the initiative

  • Develop a network of relevant stakeholders, partners, including member countries, and experts to discuss a just transition in Africa with an objective to create consensus and a way forward on the continent.
  • Develop a just transition framework for the African Development Bank that is centred around the realities of the African context and supports environmental sustainability and inclusive economic growth.
  • Produce a report that describes the fundamentals of a just transition based on different definitions produced by organizations worldwide.
  • Conduct capacity-building workshops that enable participants to act as agents of change in raising awareness for a just transition in different regions of Africa.
  • Provide guidance, access to resources and operational outputs that help Bank member countries to integrate just transition strategies more fully into their national development strategies.
  • Inform the African Development Bank Group’s contributions to high-level engagements on the Just Transition among multilateral development banks.  

 

For more information, contact: Kidanua Abera Gizaw, email: [email protected]

Events

Just Transition Africa Roundtable Meeting 1: Middle East and North Africa Climate Week, Virtual, 30 March 2022
Just Transition Africa Roundtable Meeting 2: Bonn Climate Conference , June 2022
Just Transition Africa Roundtable Meeting 3 - Africa Climate Week, September 2022
Just Transition Africa Roundtable Meeting 4: COP 27, November, Sharm El-Sheik, Egypt

Resources and links