• The partnership will provide a platform for dialogue, co-operation and exchange for tangible measures to respond to climate change.
• It will have close links to the Global Climate Change Alliance and the ClimDev Africa Programme.
• It will represent an integrated framework for Africa-EU co-operation on climate change.

Climate Change has an effect on all countries, but the Least Developed Countries and other vulnerable developing countries are expected to be hit earliest and hardest. Africa will be particularly affected in terms of food security, sustainable water supply and extreme weather phenomena such as floods, droughts and threats of desertification. The economies and livelihoods of an increasing number of communities, countries and sub-regions in Africa continue to decline due to desert encroachment partly emanating from climate change and locally generated land degradation processes.

The Africa-EU Climate Change Partnership was launched during the 2nd Africa-EU Summit in December 2007, Lisbon, Portugal where the First Action Plan (2008-2010) was adopted.

It has two priority actions each with their own specific objectives: 

1. Common agenda on climate change policies and co-operation

Goals

• Enhanced dialogue, and common approaches, including at multilateral level, on climate change challenges in Africa, Europe and globally, in particular in view to the negotiations for a global and comprehensive post-2012 climate agreement.
• Strengthened capacities to adapt to climate change and to mitigate its negative effects.

Expected outcomes

• A strengthened Africa-EU dialogue on the development, implementation and further improvement of climate change related initiatives and treaties, in particular in view of the negotiations of a global and comprehensive post-2012 climate agreement;
• Systematic integration of climate change into African national and regional development strategies as well as into Africa-EU development cooperation;
• Increased capacity in African countries to adapt to climate change and mitigate its negative effects, including through climate risk management and resilience to deal with climate-related disasters;
• Improved data, analytical methods and infrastructure for sectoral Climate Risk Management (CRM), monitoring climate variability and detecting climate change with strengthened observation networks and service centres in Africa;
• Reduced rates of deforestation and better preservation of forest ecosystems, while improving the livelihood of forest dependent populations;
• Increased benefits for Africa from participation in the global carbon market and enhanced capacity of African negotiators in the international market;
• Increased energy efficiency and resilience to climate change in the African economies.

2. Co-operation on land degradation and increased aridity, including the “Green Wall for the Sahara Initiative”

Goals

•   Combat desertification and improve the livelihoods of the inhabitants of the countries of the Sahara and Sahel zones of Africa

Expected outcomes

• Progress towards reversal of desert encroachment and soil degradation;
• • Improvement of micro-climatic conditions and reduction of land degradation.