African leaders urge developed nations to honour climate finance pledges at COP31

Detailed summary

African leaders meeting in Türkiye's Antalya call for predictable funding and simpler access to finance as erratic seasons threaten harvests and storms hit island nations.

African leaders on Thursday urged developed countries to deliver on climate finance commitments, ensure fairer access to funding and turn global pledges into concrete action, warning that vulnerable nations cannot shoulder the growing costs of the climate crisis alone.

Cote d’Ivoire’s Vice President Tiemoko Meyliet Kone called for stronger international solidarity and greater access to climate finance at COP31 in Türkiye’s Antalya, saying African countries must address climate change without sacrificing their development aspirations.

“When the seasons become uncertain, it is the harvests that are jeopardised. It is incomes that disappear, and entire families who see their future threatened,” he said.

Vice President Alix Sebastien Pillay on Thursday called for urgent action to translate climate promises into concrete commitments and financial resources, warning that climate-related disasters place a disproportionate burden on vulnerable island nations.

“Commitments must turn into resources,” he said, calling for faster and more effective international support for climate-vulnerable countries.

Gabon’s Vice President Hugues Alexandre Barro Chambrier called for predictable and equitable climate finance, saying countries protecting the planet’s ecosystems should not bear the financial burden alone.

Addressing the COP31, Chambrier urged fair recognition of the Congo Basin’s contribution to global climate stability and called on developed countries to honour their commitments to developing nations.

Zimbabwe’s Vice President Constantino Guveya Dominic Nyikadzino Chiwenga urged developed countries to deliver measurable climate finance and support a transition that expands energy access, creates jobs and accelerates industrialisation.

Addressing COP31, he said the commitment to mobilise at least $300 billion annually must translate into transparent financial flows, with developed countries taking the lead.

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