The EU and 79 African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries stressed the need to enhance climate ambition ahead of the 26th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 26) to the UNFCCC in Glasgow, UK, in 2020, and highlighted the economic and societal opportunities arising from the transitioning to low-emission and climate-resilient economies.

Meeting at an event during the 2019 UN Climate Change Conference in Madrid, Spain, they called for countries to engage in long-term planning to help translate increased ambition into concrete policy measures.

Frans Timmermans, Executive Vice-President, European Commission, expressed hope that the European Green Deal can inspire others. ACP Secretary-General Patrick Gomes called for strengthening the global response to climate change in the context of sustainable development. Krista Mikkonen, Environment and Climate Change Minister, Finland, called for a “coherent and clear vision” towards achieving climate neutrality by 2050.

From 2014 to 2018, EU funding for cooperation with the ACP Group of States on climate change totaled EUR 1.7 billion, which included strengthening the resilience and adaptation capacity of ACP countries through the Intra-ACP Global Climate Change Alliance Plus, a joint EU-ACP initiative worth EUR 70 million. ACP-EU cooperation also includes the EUR 85 million Climate Services Programme to strengthen capacities of regional hydrometeorological organizations to access and use climate information and services for policy decision making, and a EUR 100 million disaster risk reduction (DRR) programme to be launched in 2020 as a follow-up to an ongoing EUR 180 million programme. [ACP Press Release] [EU Press Release]