Expertise France is a French public international cooperation agency. It designs and implements projects which aim to contribute to the balanced development of partner countries, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda and the priorities of France’s external action. Expertise France’s mission is to meet the demand of partner countries seeking to enhance the quality of their public policies in order to address the environmental, social, economic and security challenges they are facing. The agency achieves this goal by implementing projects in the main areas of public action: 

-    Democratic, economic and financial governance;

     -    Stability, international security and peace Stability, international security and peace

     -    Sustainable development, climate and agriculture

     -    Health and human development

In order to give substance to this dialogue and to enshrine it in the long term and with a specific focus on the second theme of his declaration of intent, a total of EUR 2.75 Million in funding have been granted by the French Development Agency (AFD) to Expertise France in the form of a technical assistance and capacity-building facility to support the AU on issues within its area of expertise.

Based on a request from different departments from the AU Commission, the French Facility for Technical Assistance to the African Union facilitated the conduct of a number of studies, strategy and policy papers aimed at supporting the African Union Commission on topics related to economy and commerce.

 Next steps for the AU’s Green Recovery Action Plan

The AU-GRAP sets out ambitious objectives across the five priority areas for Africa’s green recovery, and Pillar 3 of the AU GRAP is biodiversity and nature-based solutions, including sustainable land management, forestry, oceans, and ecotourism. The following recommendations focus on ways the AU can work with various partners to drive Africa’s green recovery through targeted interventions in biodiversity and nature-based solutions. Key recommendations in the Implementation of Pillar 3 of GRAP include (i) Convene AU Member States ahead of The Convention on Biological Diversity to discuss the opportunities and challenges that they may face in translating the Framework into national strategies (ii) Support AU Member States to incorporate biodiversity into national development planning through Mainstreaming Accounting for the value of Nature (iii) Advocating for a ‘One Health’ approach (iv) and Drive ambition for biodiversity and ecosystem protection across the continent through restoration and (v) to provide guidance to AU Member States on finance for nature Support AU Member States to access sources of international finance for ecosystem preservation through innovative financing.

 IMPLEMENTATION OF THE POST 2020 GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY FRAMEWORK

 The effective implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework not only calls for a whole-of-society and a whole-of-government approach but also stronger collaboration and synergy with the other Multilateral Environmental Agreements. In this regard, the African Union Commission organized a High-Level Conference on the Implementation of the CBD COP15 and CITES COP19 from 31 May – 1 June 2023 at the AU HQ in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

 The objectives of the conference included the development of an action plan that can support and drive the effective implementation of the key commitments and decisions made, including actions to ensure adequate capacity building and resource mobilization from both public and private sectors; and ensure alignment, synergies and complementarity in financing, developing and implementing of the National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) as the national instruments to implement the Global Biodiversity Framework.

 This conference which was attended by 44 AU member States with 19 represented at Ministerial level, developed a draft African Union Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan 2023-2030 (ABSAP), The ABSAP is intended to guide AU member states in the implementation of the post 2020 GBF and in the revision and updating of National Biodiversity and Strategy and Action Plans that incorporate the priority targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

In attendance were also representatives of the Eastern African Community (EAC), Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), Commission des Forêts d'Afrique Centrale (COMIFAC), Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), African CSOs Biodiversity Alliance (ACBA), African Wildlife Foundation (AWF), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GiZ), International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), World Wildlife Fund (WWF), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Global Environment Facility Secretariat (GEF), Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), Panafrican Climate Justice Alliance Advancing a fair, equitable, ecologically-just and locally-led climate action (PACJA), and Traffic.

It should also be noted that the African Heads of State and Government, gathered for the inaugural Africa Climate Summit (ACS) in Nairobi, Kenya, from 4th to 6^th September 2023; in the presence of other global leaders, intergovernmental organizations, Regional Economic Communities, United Nations Agencies, private sector, and civil society organizations. The main outcomes of the meeting were the following statements:

 v  Recognition that Africa is not historically responsible for global warming, but bears the brunt of its effects, impacting lives, livelihoods, and economies;

  v  Concern that many African countries face disproportionate burdens and risks arising from climate change-related unpredictable weather events and patterns, including prolonged droughts, devastating floods, out-of-season storms, and wildfires, which cause massive humanitarian crisis with detrimental impacts on economies, health, education, peace and security, among other risks;

  v  Recall that only seven years remain to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda, and note with concern that 600 million people in Africa still lack access to electricity while 970 million lack access to clean cooking;

  v  Concern that despite Africa having an estimated 40 percent of the world’s renewable energy resources, only $60 billion or two percent of US$3 trillion renewable energy investments in the last decade have come to Africa;

  v  Reiterate Africa’s readiness to create an enabling environment, enact policies and facilitate investments necessary to unlock resources to meet our own climate commitments, and contribute meaningfully to decarbonisation of the global economy;

  v  Recognize that Africa’s vast forests, especially the Congo Basin rainforest are the largest carbon sinks globally, and the important ecosystem services provided by Africa’s vast savannahs, Miombo woodlands, peatlands, mangroves, and coral reefs, it is time that Africa’s natural capital wealth is properly measured by recognizing its contribution to reducing global carbon emissions; and

  v Further recognize the critical importance of the oceans in climate action and commitments made on ocean sustainability in multiple fora such as the Second UN Oceans Conference in 2022, and the Moroni Declaration for Ocean and Climate Action in Africa in 2023.