At a time when green growth is on everyone's lips, from Asia and Africa to America and Europe, the first day of the Summit for a "New Global Financial Deal", which closes on 23 June 2023 in France, gave high-level leaders an opportunity to exchange views on the future of the planet.
What is the current state of multi-stakeholder partnerships on ecological transition and carbon markets? How can they help mobilise more private investment, and in which priority sectors? These were the questions discussed at the round table “A new method: partnerships for green growth”. The panel, held at the Palais de Brongniart as part of the Summit for a “New Global Financial Pact” organised by the French government, was chaired by six leading figures, including four heads of state.
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Denis Sassou-Nguesso, President of the Republic of Congo Abdel Fattah Al-Sissi of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, Gustavo Petro Urrego of the Republic of Colombia. Alongside Ursula Von Der Leyen, President of the European Commission and the scientist M Sanjayan, head of the American non-governmental organisation (NGO) Conservation International, the moderator Catherine Colonna, who is also the French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, spoke of multilateral diplomacy as a weapon in the fight against climate change.
This is because the phenomenon is attacking natural resources and the economic health of nations, leading to inflation and inequalities of all kinds. Against this backdrop, the event organised by the Élysée Palace and the Quai d’Orsay has been described by Denis Sassou Nguesso as a “summit of change”. “After the COP of hope (Copenhagen 2009) and the one in Sharm-el-Sheikh in 2022, the time has now come for concrete solutions to help humanity survive. At our level, 16 countries have already joined forces to set up the Blue Fund for the Congo Basin”, explains the Congolese President.
Thinking and acting collectively
This view is shared by his counterpart Gustavo Petro Urrego, who has been at the helm of Colombia since 2022, with sustainable development as his top priority. “Even if we plant trees all over the world, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the countries of the North will always have an impact. We absolutely must increase investment levels to switch from fossil fuels to clean energy. So we need to reform the climate financing system by introducing a binding green tax and setting up a group of experts (economists, environmentalists, etc.) between now and COP28 in Dubai”, insisted the Socialist and tenant of the Nariño Palace in Bogotá.
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For his part, Cyril Ramaphosa, South Africa’s Head of State, has suggested that the green growth that is hoped for calls for equitable and inclusive governance “that takes everyone into account”. In 2018, the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) singled out Morocco, Tunisia, Kenya, Rwanda, Senegal, Gabon and Mozambique as the continent’s best performers in terms of green growth. The rainbow nation, for its part, has embarked on a period of charm diplomacy in recent years to win over partners and investors from all horizons.
Benoit-Ivan Wansi
