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This article examines the performance of the African Group of Negotiators (AGN) in global climate change negotiations. It provides theoretical insights on the priorities of the AGN, outlines how the African region self-organises in situations of regime complexity and critically analyses the inherent characteristics that create unique constraints to meaningful participation of the AGN in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The study finds that the political mandate of the AGN together with the consistent technical support from climate-focused continental institutions have strengthened the AGN in these negotiations, where the group has had a consistent set of priorities. The article also highlights areas that could enhance the performance of the AGN, including a critical examination of the effect of multiple coalition membership. The conclusion is that as subordinate actors the AGN is effectively contesting the rules and practices of contemporary global climate governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article argues that South Africa's climate change policy and engagement should go beyond advancing its transition to a low carbon economy, and should include adaptation, green industrialisation, and resilience. In this context the article argues that South Africa and other African countries should go beyond the narrow limits of the just energy transition framework and adopt the more holistic concept of climate resilient development. It is proposed that South Africa should support the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the African Union (AU) to strengthen renewable energy infrastructure, green industrial value chains, adaptation and resilience – thus adopting a climate resilient developmental regionalism approach. The EU carbon border adjustment measure is critically discussed. The AfCFTA and the AU are urged to build more coherent approaches between their negotiating positions in the WTO and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whereas in the Global North the energy transition narrative focuses on the idea of 'global sustainability', in the Global South it is increasingly connected to old and new challenges that derive from dependence on natural resource extractivism and rentierism. In vast regions of South America, for instance, fossil fuels extractivism and the idea of (post-)development are inextricable. On the one hand, capitalist modernisation, energy security, and even political stability hinge on domestic use of fossil fuels and the rent generated by their exports. On the other hand, the idea of ending extractivism, which is again topical in Latin America, invites policymakers to dream on post-development and the possibility of converging toward the 'green' energy transition. This contribution builds on insights from Ecuador and Colombia, as paradigmatic examples, to address the juncture triggered by the energy transition in the Global South. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a rationale for understanding how the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) operates in advancing the global response to climate change. It does this by highlighting key characteristics of this framework convention, whose multilateral process has led to the establishment of treaties such as the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement. The article also points out the complexity of the process within the annual meetings of the UNFCCC's Conference of the Parties (COP), the supreme decision-making body of the convention. Furthermore, the slow pace of progress of these multilateral negotiations and the reasons responsible for such slow progress are highlighted. The article notes that the next COP, under the leadership of Egypt, presents a significant opportunity to Africa to influence the process. As a whole, the article aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of this important multilateral process and the value of incremental change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]