CAPE TOWN – The pandemic wreaked havoc on African economies, hampering GDP growth and straining government budgets. The war in Ukraine now threatens to make things much worse, including by disrupting food supplies and compounding inflationary pressures. But when these shocks pass, many African countries will still be struggling with the effects of climate change […]
The rich world empty climate promises Read More »
CIDADE DO CABO – A pandemia lançou o caos sobre as economias africanas, ao comprometer o crescimento do PIB e pressionar os orçamentos governamentais. Agora, a guerra na Ucrânia ameaça piorar ainda mais as coisas, nomeadamente através da interrupção dos abastecimentos alimentares e do agravamento das pressões inflacionistas. Mas quando estes choques passarem, muitos países
As vãs promessas climáticas dos países ricos Read More »
LE CAP – Freinant leur croissance et pesant sur leur budget, la pandémie a généré le chaos dans les économies des pays africains. Et maintenant la guerre en Ukraine menace d’aggraver la situation, notamment en perturbant l’approvisionnement alimentaire et en intensifiant la pression inflationniste. Mais une fois ces crises passées, beaucoup de pays africains seront
Le climat et les promesses non tenues des pays riches Read More »
The pandemic accelerated the unequal treatment of Africa, driven by the rules and systems of global economic governance. It exposed the practical implications of inequality – notably differences in state capacity to limit the socio-economic impact of lockdowns – uncovered the hyper-dependence of critical value chains, particularly to China, and revealed both the vulnerabilities of
Is sovereign debt impeding Africa’s COVID-19 recovery? Read More »
What follows is an edited version of the keynote address presented by University of Cape Town (UCT) Honorary Professor Carlos Lopes of the Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance on the first day of the recent International Summit on SDGs in Africa 2021 hosted by UCT. The event brought together African and global university networks
The world needs a different type of ambition Read More »
L’Afrique a été tellement laissée de côté durant la pandémie qu’elle a commencé à se prendre en main, explique l’économiste Carlos Lopes, haut représentant du président de la Commission de l’Union africaine dans sa tribune pour «Le Temps». Pour lui, le covid pourrait être une vraie opportunité pour le continent: renverser à la fois les
Afrique et pandémie: les moins infectés sont les plus touchés Read More »
When the United Nations started framing its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2012 – a shared blueprint for working towards global peace and prosperity by 2030 – Africa was the first region to submit its list of priorities. The continent was quick to act as it was in the process of finalising its Agenda 2063
Africa has a great strategic plan: now it needs to roll up its sleeves and take action Read More »
Growing awareness about the interdependence of international relations led countries to realize their efforts had to go beyond the provision of national public good alone. This was especially true in a globalized content where pheno Even though countries have invested a great deal to improve global policy-making and decision-making mechanisms to enable synchronized management of
Adjusting Multilateralism to the 21st Century Read More »
By Carlos Lopes, Professor at the University of Cape Town and former Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) Africa’s most important priority is energy. Clean energy transitions will affect the African continent differently from industrialised regions, such as Europe. Diversifying the energy mix should not trump the need to reduce
Macron and Africa : the good, the less good and the dangerous Read More »
Countries’ commitments to the Paris Agreement are a legally binding process recognising that the climate challenge transcends borders. The Agreement captures several principles, which are important for Africa to reaffirm, such as the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities; and, with it, respective capabilities. Accounting for only 2–3 per cent of the world’s carbon dioxide
Common but Different: Africa and Europe’s climate responsibilities Read More »