September 2010: The African Union Commission (AUC), the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) have jointly produced the 2010 report on “Assessing Progress in Africa toward the Millennium Development Goals (MGDs).”

According to the report, the adverse impacts of climate change threaten the sustainability of MDGs achievement in Africa. Moreover, mitigating climate change presents a significant policy challenge for a region that faces huge energy needs to power its development and industrialization. The report stresses the need for the African continent to have access to the technology and financing that will enable it to meet those energy needs, in a way that is consistent, to the extent possible, with climate change mitigation.

The report also notes that African countries urgently need to mobilize additional resources to mitigate and adapt to climate change in the years ahead, as the cost of dealing with the adverse consequences of climate change is likely to hamper progress on the MDGs in Africa by significantly reducing the resources available for achieving the MDGs.

Furthermore, the report highlights that: the threat posed by climate change to Africa is resulting in a greater focus on environmental sustainability and the environment-related MDG; given the uncertainty of the impacts of climate change on resources and ecosystems, a higher level of precaution is required in managing fishery resources; and African countries should, in concert with development partners, argue for a reform of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) of the World Trade Organization (WTO) to the extent that it may constrain Africa’s ability to use new climate technologies. [2010 African MDG Report]