Reimagining Multilateral Cooperation in an Era of Climate Crisis

Few issues capture both the promise and peril of collective action more vividly than climate change and environmental governance. For Africa, this is not a theoretical exercise; it is about people's lives, livelihoods, and the very survival of our ecosystems.

Why global cooperation is weakening

The decline in international cooperation stems from three interrelated forces. First, we are witnessing the re-nationalization of politics and finance. Successive crises, the COVID-19 pandemic, conflict, and global economic volatility, have driven many nations inward. Fiscal tightening across Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries has reduced climate finance and official development assistance. The $100 billion annual climate finance target set in Copenhagen remains unmet, and Africa's adaptation finance gap continues to widen.

Second, we face growing geopolitical fragmentation. Rivalries among major powers have weakened consensus within global forums such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the G20. Rather than shared responsibility, we now see competition, resource nationalism, trade protectionism, and securitized approaches to energy and minerals policy.

Third, the inequities in the global financial architecture have deepened. For many African countries, debt servicing now exceeds spending on climate adaptation. Access to concessional finance is slow, risk-averse, and conditional. As NRGI's research shows, these structural barriers perpetuate dependency and limit resource-rich African states' ability to mobilize domestic revenues for their own transitions.

Together, these trends reinforce a vicious cycle: as cooperation weakens, progress slows; as progress slows, trust erodes; and as trust erodes, cooperation collapses.

How is this erosion affecting Africa?

1. Weakening Africa's capacity to manage climate and environmental security risks. Africa is warming faster than any other region. Intensifying floods, droughts, and heatwaves are displacing communities, disrupting agriculture, and exacerbating competition over land and water. Yet weak governance of natural resource revenues and fragmented fiscal systems constrain African governments' ability to invest in adaptation and resilience. NRGI's work in the DRC, Ghana, and Senegal shows that declining cooperation has meant less predictable financing, fewer regional environmental programs, and slower access to early-warning technologies. The security implications are profound: in fragile contexts like the Sahel, environmental degradation amplifies existing instability.
2. Undermining the implementation of regional and global climate agreements. Africa's commitments under the Paris Agreement and the Africa Union Climate Change Strategy depend heavily on finance, technology transfer, and trust. But the erosion of multilateralism has slowed delivery and undermined credibility. NRGI's analyses of the Just Energy Transition Partnerships (JETP) in South Africa and Senegal reveal that, while these frameworks hold promise, they often reflect donor-driven priorities, opaque decision-making, and weak domestic coordination. Without stronger governance, citizen participation, and accountability, even well-intentioned cooperation risks reproducing old inequities.

3. Limiting Africa's renewable energy transition and access to green technologies.
   Africa lies at the heart of the world's energy transition. The continent holds nearly 30 percent of global reserves of critical minerals, including cobalt, lithium, graphite, and manganese, essential to renewable energy technologies.

   The International Energy Agency estimates that Africa needs about $200 billion annually by 2030 to achieve universal energy access and align with net-zero goals. Yet current investments amount to less than a tenth of that. Most clean-energy financing goes to a few middle-income economies, leaving low-income, resource-dependent states locked in fossil pathways. Yet, as NRGI's research warns, the global race for these resources risks repeating the extractive patterns of the past. The Democratic Republic of the Congo, which produces over 70 percent of the world's cobalt, sees little local processing or value addition. Meanwhile, Africa as a whole has attracted only two percent of global renewable energy investments since 2000, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency IRENA.

   Without fair partnerships, technology transfer, and strong governance, Africa could remain trapped at the bottom of global value chains, exporting raw materials and importing finished technologies at a premium.
    

Intersecting vulnerabilities: gender, youth, and climate-induced mobility

The decline in cooperation also magnifies inequalities. Women, who dominate smallholder farming, face rising livelihood losses and exclusion from climate finance. Youth, representing more than 60 percent of Africa's population, see limited pathways into green jobs or entrepreneurship. Climate-induced migration is straining already fragile urban systems.
NRGI's gender and inclusion work shows that when women and youth are excluded from decision-making, governance outcomes are less equitable and less sustainable. Their inclusion is not benevolence; it is smart and necessary climate governance.

Rebuilding cooperation and strengthening African agency

Africa cannot wait passively for the renewal of global solidarity; it must lead in reshaping it. Four priorities stand out.
First, elevate Africa's voice and representation in global governance. The continent must push for reforms in the UNFCCC, IMF, World Bank, and G20 that reflect today's realities. Civil society, youth, and women's groups should have seats at the table to ensure Africa's climate diplomacy mirrors its citizens' aspirations. The Nairobi Declaration of 2023 offers a blueprint, calling for fair carbon pricing, innovative financing, and equitable investment frameworks.

Second, strengthen regional and continental cooperation. Where global cooperation falters, regionalism can step in. The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) can drive green industrialization by harmonizing standards and building value chains for transition minerals. NRGI's work points to the potential for linking lithium extraction in Zimbabwe with battery manufacturing in South Africa and logistics networks in Ghana and Kenya. Coordinated policies across sectors can amplify scale and bargaining power.

Third, invest in domestic resilience and climate literacy. Afrobarometer data reveal low public awareness of climate change, particularly among women, youth, and rural citizens. Addressing this gap requires investment in climate education, local adaptation programs, and inclusive participation. Africa's youth, projected to reach 830 million by 2050, are its most valuable renewable resource. Empowering them to innovate in renewable energy, green agriculture, and sustainable business is crucial.

Fourth, promote transparency and accountability in climate finance. Cooperation must yield a measurable impact. Transparent tracking of climate finance; how much is received, where it goes, and who benefits, is essential. Governments should design gender-responsive, inclusive climate budgets that reflect the realities of those most affected: women, the poor, and displaced communities.

From dependency to design

The decline in global cooperation is not an endpoint; it is a summons, a summons to reimagine solidarity, equity, and shared purpose on new terms.

Africa must move from being a passive participant to a co-architect of a renewed multilateral order, one grounded in fairness, accountability, and mutual respect. By strengthening continental coordination, investing in people, and demanding transparency, Africa can become not just a recipient of cooperation but a driver of global transformation.

Ultimately, the true test of renewed cooperation will not be the number of pledges or declarations made, but whether it delivers justice, jobs, and dignity for Africa's people. Because cooperation, at its core, is not charity. It is shared survival and shared hope. And when that hope is grounded in courage, equity, and action, it becomes the most powerful force for transformation in our world today.