Eight East African Countries take common stand on Climate Financing towards COP31 in November
East African countries are laying down terms regarding climate financing as the region faces tumult and unpredictable weather conditions.
Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia and South Sudan are the eight countries forming the East African Community which is pivoted in Arusha.
These eight East African Community (EAC) Partner States are now calling for more predictable, accessible and grant-based climate finance as they prepare to take a common regional position to the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31) in November 2026.
The global climate meeting takes place at Antalya, in Türkiye.
The common position calls on developed countries to meet their public climate finance obligations, triple adaptation finance by 2035, improve direct access to climate finance and provide greater support for adaptation and loss and damage without increasing the debt burden of vulnerable countries.
The position was validated alongside the EAC Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan 2026–2036 at a Regional Validation Meeting held in Machakos, Kenya, from 29th September to 3rd October 2026. The meeting brought together delegates from EAC Partner States, the EAC Secretariat, the Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC), technical experts, with technical and logistical support from the German Government through GIZ.
The common COP31 messages further call for the full capitalisation of the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage, direct access to its resources by national institutions and support for both economic and non-economic losses.
The EAC is also calling for full funding of the Santiago Network, which provides technical assistance to countries vulnerable to loss and damage, as well as stronger cooperation on disaster risk reduction and early warning systems.
The call for greater climate finance reflects the scale of climate impacts facing the region.
According to the World Meteorological Organization’s State of the Climate in Africa 2023 report, African countries are losing between 2 and 5 percent of their GDP annually to climate extremes, with some diverting up to 9 percent of national budgets to disaster response at the expense of long-term development.
Chairing the meeting, Mr. William Tayebwa, Uganda’s Assistant Commissioner for Production and Infrastructure at the Ministry of East African Community Affairs, underscored the importance of solidarity and collective action in addressing climate change.
“When we speak with one voice, we stand on firmer ground in international negotiations and in mobilising the resources our region needs,” he said, adding that the Strategy is essential for putting the EAC Climate Change Policy into practice and steering the region towards low-carbon, climate-resilient development.
The EAC common position also seeks to strengthen the region’s ability to access climate finance, with Partner States calling for transparent, predictable and efficient funding procedures and greater support for national institutions to access climate funds directly.
On his side, Mr. Dismas Mwikila, EAC Environmental and Social Safeguards Specialist, delivering remarks on behalf of the EAC Secretariat, emphasised the importance of a coherent regional position that responds to the shared climate priorities of Partner States.
The EAC is calling for equitable participation in carbon markets under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, supported by harmonised regional standards for measuring, reporting and verifying emission reductions and strong safeguards for nature-based projects.
Other priorities include ecosystem restoration, including peatlands and rangelands, the use of new technologies to strengthen early warning systems and greater participation of women and young people in climate action.
Ms. Susanne Wallenoeffer, Project Manager for EAC4Nature Project, said the German Government, through GIZ, would continue working with the EAC in strengthening capacities to address climate change impacts.
“The completion of this validation should not be seen as the end of the process, but as the beginning of the next phase, which is translating commitments into concrete actions and measurable results on the ground,” she said.
The validated COP31 Common Key Messages will be shared with the African Group of Negotiators and the Partner States’ UNFCCC focal persons to inform the wider African position. The EAC Secretariat will coordinate regional side events and bilateral engagements during COP31.
The validated Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan is set to be submitted to the 12th Meeting of the Sectoral Council on Environment and Natural Resources for consideration and adoption.