RCC WAC Africa supported the UN Climate Change Executive Secretary’s engagements from September 5-6, during the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN).

The engagements covered several bilateral meetings with

• African ministers to listen to their needs and priorities ahead of COP29; and
• key non-state actors of the climate arena in Africa to (a) facilitate the provision of enhanced support and (b) to encourage support providers and partners to increase support for African countries to fully implement the Paris Agreement. This includes areas of work such as the formulation of National climate plans (NDCs and NAPs), as well as transparency reports (BTRs).

RCC WAC Africa co-organized and supported the preparation and delivery of the workshop on enhancing countries’ capacities in the preparation of biennial transparency reports (BTRs).

The workshop was co-organized by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), and the COP 29 Presidency, with support from the UNFCCC secretariat and its RCC WAC Africa, the West African Development Bank (BOAD), and the Azerbaijan International Development Agency (AIDA) and took place in Lomé from 9-11 September.

The workshop helped to provide targeted technical support to developing countries in the African region to fast-track the preparation of their first BTRs with submissions due at the end of 2024.

RCC WAC Africa, in collaboration with the Government of Cameroon, successfully organized a 3-day training workshop as part of the ongoing carbon pricing feasibility study. The event took place from 24 to 26 September.



The event aimed to raise awareness of Article 6 and Carbon Pricing and explain the types of support available through the UN Climate Change Collaborative Instruments for Ambitious Climate Action (Ci-ACA) project to Cameroonian stakeholders.

Additionally, the workshop highlighted the link between Article 6, Carbon Pricing, and the implementation of Cameroon's nationally determined contribution (NDC). This approach seeks to enhance stakeholders' knowledge of the instruments and inform decisions on adoption.

More than 45 participants ranging from government officials, private sector representatives, civil society organizations and technical experts on carbon pricing instruments attended the event.

Read more about the workshop.

RCC WAC Africa engaged in meetings with partners and support providers to facilitate support to NDC 3.0 for the 26 countries in Central and West Africa under its purview.

Collaboration with key actors such as the Central African Forest Initiative (CAFI), Climate Helpdesk and the International Land Coalition (ILC), among others have been strengthened, which resulted in enhanced support to countries for the preparations of NDC 3.0.

In addition, the RCC assists countries in providing technical inputs to concept notes for resource mobilization as per the countries' requests.

From 1-3 September, RCC WAC Africa attended the African parliamentarians meeting organized by AGNES and hosted by the Government of Côte d'Ivoire, in its parliamentary building with support from partners.



The RCC WAC Africa Regional Lead provided remarks at the opening ceremony along with representatives of UNDP, AGNES, the Commission of Environment of the National Assembly, and the Vice-President of the National Assembly of Côte d'Ivoire before briefing parliamentarians in Africa on the International Climate Change Framework of the UNFCCC, the outcomes of the First Global Stocktake (GST1) and Article 6 (carbon markets) of the Paris Agreement.

This event aimed to show what legislative role the parliamentarians in Africa can play in supporting and facilitating the implementation and tracking of progress on climate action by African countries, including on NDCs, NAPs and other commitments made under the UNFCCC.

More information on the topic is available on AGNES's webpage

From 21-23 October, RCC WAC Africa participated in and presented key sessions at the regional technical workshop entitled ‘Placing women at the heart of the transition to a green economy in West Africa’, organized by ECOWAS and UN Women.

 Held in Lomé, Togo, the event brought together National Gender and Climate Change Focal Points, climate change and gender and women affairs’ representatives from West African countries and partners to discuss the role of women in the transition to a green economy in the region.

During the 3-day workshop, the Senior Climate Change Expert, the NDC and Long-Term Low Emission Development Strategies (LT-LEDS) Expert, and the RCC Regional Lead respectively presented and contributed to the following themes: “Climate Finance and the Gender under the UNFCCC”, “Introduction to NDCs 3.0” and “Overview of COP29: Expectations, issues and key priorities for West Africa”. 

Find more about the event here.

RCC WAC Africa welcomed UN Women West and Central Africa representatives during a working session on 24 October to exchange views on their respective priorities and explore opportunities for future collaboration.

During the meeting, both teams discussed common objectives, identified potential synergies, and considered concrete ways of strengthening their cooperation for next year.

RCC WAC Africa is conducting a survey as part of a study entitled ‘SMEs/SMIs and Climate Action: Capacity Building Needs, Gaps and Opportunities in West and Central Africa’ with a view to better understanding the landscape of Small and Medium Entreprises (SMEs) / Small and Medium Industries (SMIs) and other private sector actors’ involvement in climate action in the region.

A synthesis report on carbon pricing approaches in Central Africa+ under the Ci-ACA initiative was published. Produced by the RCC WAC Africa, this report provides a sysnthesis of the state of play as well as potential future developments of carbon pricing in Central Africa.

The report also assesses carbon pricing initiatives in Central Africa, provides an analysis of potential opportunities, and aims to improve understanding of market drivers and domestic arrangements necessary for implementation.

In essence, it seeks to provide valuable insights, guide tailored engagement, and support countries under the Ci-ACA Initiative.

The report synthesizes the perspectives of central African states including Comoros, Djibouti and Madagascar on the use of carbon pricing instruments as cost-effective tools for reducing emissions.

Read the full report.

A new technical guide on the development of LT-LEDS in Africa has been published. The guide is an outcome of collaboration between the UN Climate Change, its Regional Collaboration Centres (RCCs) in Africa and the African Group of Negotiators Expert Support (AGNES).

The guide offers African practitioners a tool for developing comprehensive, economy-wide LT-LEDS by identifying steps for the pre-design, preparation, drafting, implementation and monitoring of their development. It highlights the need for a long-term vision and clear objectives, focused on national contexts documenting experiences of some African countries.

It also acknowledges the lack of a universal method for developing LT-LEDS and showcases the varying approaches employed to date, which are often dependent on the political, economic, and social contexts of each country.



Download the guide

2024 is a landmark year for the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF), with the submissions of Parties' First Biennial Transparency Reports (BTR) due.

In partnership with a broad variety of Party and non-Party stakeholders, the “Together4Transparency” collaborative initiative will continue to host several transparency events and activities across the year.

Visit our Transparency calendar!