Tayebwa says OACPS to put climate finance at the centre of discussions with EU

What the report says

Thomas Tayebwa, Uganda’s Deputy Speaker of Parliament and president of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) Parliamentary Assembly, is leading delegates in Brussels for talks with the European Union that are expected to run through the week. According to The Independent Uganda, climate justice and climate finance were placed at the centre of the OACPS agenda during the 65th parliamentary assembly ahead of the joint session with EU lawmakers.

The report says member states want changes to the way climate support is delivered so vulnerable countries can respond to climate shocks without taking on more debt. Tayebwa told delegates that countries contributing least to global emissions are often hit hardest by rising seas, drought, hunger and other climate impacts, and he urged OACPS members to press wealthy emitters to carry a fairer share of the costs. The article also quotes him arguing that climate commitments should move beyond broad statements and into practical financial arrangements.

A presentation by Dr James Murombedzi, formerly of the UN Economic Commission for Africa’s Africa Climate Policy Centre, added to the call for reform. He warned that much climate finance is loan-based and can deepen debt in low-income states, and he recommended more grants for adaptation, direct funding for loss and damage, and easier access to emergency and resilience finance.

The report places the discussions in the broader context of long-standing debates over climate equity, with delegates from Barbados, Chad, Mauritius and Jamaica also urging reforms to international financing rules. The talks are taking place at the European Parliament in Brussels.