Africa Climate Week 2020: Partnering for transformation

The first of 2020's regional climate weeks shows the way towards a low-carbon climate-resilient and prosperous Africa

February 7, 2020

From the 20th to the 24th of April, Uganda will host the 2020 version of the Africa Climate Week.

The event in Kampala, at the Speke Conference Centre, will be the first Regional Climate Week to be hosted this year and will be followed by Climate Weeks in the Asia-Pacific (AP), Latin America and Caribbean (LAC), and Middle East and North Africa (MENA) regions.

The event timing takes advantage of the G77 Heads of State and Government Summit being held at the same venue from 17 to 19 April and will facilitate the participation of Ministers and high-level stakeholders.

Read more about the Africa Climate Week and how you can participate here. 

A climate emergency

The world is in a climate emergency.

2020 is a key year in which the international community must complete the unfinished tasks from 2019 at government level and mobilize far more action from non-state actors.

The climate emergency is a growing threat particularly to the most vulnerable, and a particular threat to the long-term health, safety, and prosperity of people in Africa. Dealing with this threat is urgent, and extensive collaboration is required to address the threat.

Africa Climate Week will bring together diverse actors from the public and private sectors and will be instrumental in building support for increased regional climate action, helping to put Africa on a path to low-carbon and resilience to the inevitable impacts of climate change.

Implementing the Paris Agreement

The central objective of Africa Climate Week is to share ways for governments to implement the Paris Agreement in Africa, making use of all the planning tools and support available, and to serve as a platform for national governments and non-Party stakeholders to engage, build partnerships and explore solutions that can deliver climate action and support at scale.

With the window of opportunity to address climate change rapidly closing, the need for solutions, at the global and regional level has never been more urgent.

At the same time, many African economies are growing fast, along with rapidly expanding populations. Now is the opportunity to green these growing economies, and to put them on a sustainable path.

In 2020, leaders have a unique opportunity to reflect on the multitude of global voices for much more climate ambition and to take action at international and regional meetings such as Africa Climate Week.

Partnering for transformation

Africa Climate Week is an opportunity to move forward on crucial climate action work at a national and regional level, taking regional priorities into consideration.

In the context of this urgency, Africa Climate Week is taking place under the banner of “Partnering for transformation towards a low-carbon climate-resilient and prosperous Africa: managing risks, seizing opportunities.”

Africa Climate Week 2020 will be wholly inclusive and open to all stakeholders, as a ‘go-to’ hub to build partnerships and to showcase groundbreaking action in the region.

Partners of Africa Climate Week

The regional climate weeks, and the Africa Climate Weeks, build on the previous regional Carbon Forum. These forums focused on market-based approaches, economic instruments, and climate-related funding, to promote climate-friendly investment and had UNEP DTU Partnership as one of the founding organizations.

Africa Climate Weeks is being hosted by the Republic of Uganda.  Key partners are the UNFCCC secretariat, the World Bank Group, the UN Development Programme, UN Environment, the UN Economic Commission for Africa, the African Union and the African Development Bank.