African governments failed to win a separate agenda item on tripling adaptation finance when the COP31 climate talks opened in Antalya on 9 November, after wealthy countries resisted new funding commitments.
Adaptation finance pays for sea walls, drought-resistant crops and early-warning systems. Africa says the money available is far short of need, and the dispute over where the issue sits in the talks sets the tone for the two weeks of negotiations, which run until 20 November.
What did Africa ask for on adaptation finance?
Ghana’s Antwi-Boasiako Amoah, who chairs the African Group of Negotiators, asked for three extra agenda items: tripling adaptation finance, trade and climate change, and the financing arrangements of the Green Climate Fund, Climate Home News reported on 28 October. In a letter, he wrote that “a dedicated item is needed” and noted that the conference has not carried out a periodic assessment of developing countries’ funding needs since 2013.
The request built on the outcome of COP30 in Belém, where governments agreed to call for efforts to triple adaptation finance, Carbon Brief reported. Climate Home gave the end date as 2035. The least developed countries want the goal set at $120bn a year by 2030, it said.
How did the COP31 opening handle adaptation finance?
The opening plenary started late after a dispute over the agenda, according to an AFP report carried by Arab News. Developing countries, including African states, wanted climate finance items on the official agenda. Developed countries took a “hard line” against including a funding platform agreed at COP30, and a senior European Union official warned there was “no political will” for extra funding pledges, AFP reported.
The compromise placed a climate finance work programme on the agenda. There is no separate point on tripling adaptation finance, which will be discussed under other items instead, AFP said.
Who is hosting COP31 and what else is at stake?
Turkey presides over the conference, with Australia leading the negotiations, according to Eyewitness News, which also carried AFP’s report. UN Secretary-General António Guterres told delegates that the world has “entered a new age of climate extremes” and urged leaders to deliver “the finance and protection vulnerable countries need”.
Finance talks ran through the whole of the second day, 10 November, according to a negotiations summary by the C.A.R.E. climate newsletter. It said parties wanted assurance that the Adaptation Fund would receive a share of proceeds from the Paris Agreement carbon market mechanism. Many developing countries also asked for recognition of finance gaps across mitigation, adaptation and loss and damage.
What does the dispute mean for African countries?
Earlier DNE Africa coverage shows that African delegates arrived in Antalya with UN Economic Commission for Africa support and with calls from youth representatives, such as a Nigerian student who called for a bigger youth voice in the talks.
Without a dedicated item, African negotiators have to press the case for adaptation finance inside other tracks, including the finance work programme and talks on adaptation goals. Developed countries have so far cited domestic fiscal pressure when declining larger targets, Carbon Brief reported of the previous conference. The UN Climate Change secretariat will publish the final decisions when the conference closes.
What happens next?
Negotiations continue until 20 November. We found no report of a final decision on adaptation finance, and the outcome rests on whether negotiators fold the tripling goal into a closing text.
FAQ
What is adaptation finance?
It is money that helps countries cope with the effects of climate change, such as flood defences, drought-resistant farming and early-warning systems.
Did COP31 agree to a separate item on adaptation finance?
No. AFP reported that there is no separate agenda point on tripling adaptation finance, which will be discussed under other items.
Who chairs the African Group of Negotiators?
Antwi-Boasiako Amoah of Ghana, according to Climate Home News.
When does COP31 end?
The conference in Antalya, Turkey, runs from 9 to 20 November 2026.
