MBABANE – Leaders from African countries participating in the ongoing Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States-European Union (OACPS-EU) meetings in Eswatini have called for greater transparency and accountability in climate financing commitments from global partners.
This was said by Uganda’s Deputy Speaker of Parliament Thomas Tayebwa while addressing members of the Eastern Africa Regional Parliamentary Group ahead of the OACPS-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly set to take place later this week in Eswatini.
Tayebwa, who is the president of the OACPS and co-president of the OACPS-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly, said African countries must approach negotiations with the European Union from a position of unity and strength, especially on issues affecting development and climate change.
He said climate finance remained one of the most critical matters for African countries, many of which continue to face the devastating effects of climate change despite contributing the least to global carbon emissions.
“I called for transparency and accountability in climate financing commitments, and for partnerships grounded in mutual respect,” said Tayebwa.
He stressed that African legislators had a responsibility to ensure that international agreements and partnerships produced tangible benefits for ordinary citizens.
According to Tayebwa, African countries must also fully utilise the opportunities presented by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) while addressing non-tariff barriers that continue to hinder trade and access to important international markets, including the European Union.He said strengthening Africa’s collective voice in negotiations would help the continent secure fairer agreements and stronger development partnerships.
Tayebwa further urged parliamentarians attending the meetings, particularly first-time delegates, to carefully study all documents and negotiation texts before engaging with their European counterparts.
“For colleagues participating for the first time, I urged them to read all documents thoroughly and understand every detail, even down to a comma, so that we can negotiate from a position of strength,” he said.
Beyond climate financing, Tayebwa also raised concerns over what he described as interference and lack of respect toward African countries by some institutions within the European Union.He cited Uganda’s recent elections, which he said were free, fair and successful, but later became the subject of scrutiny from the European Parliament, which summoned Uganda’s ambassador.
“That was not right, and we rejected it,” he said.He said a similar situation had also occurred in Tanzania, adding that African representatives would seek firm assurances during engagements with EU counterparts that such incidents would not happen again.
Tayebwa also referred to previous tensions between African countries and the European Parliament over the East African Crude Oil Pipeline project.
The European Parliament had previously adopted a resolution seeking to halt construction of the pipeline, citing environmental and human rights concerns.
However, African representatives strongly opposed the move during an OACPS meeting held in Maputo, resulting in the resolution later being rescinded.
According to Tayebwa, the development demonstrated the importance of African countries standing united in defence of their sovereignty and development priorities.
“This demonstrates the value of standing firm for Africa’s sovereignty,” he said. The OACPS-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly brings together lawmakers from member states of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States and the European Union to discuss issues of governance, trade, development, climate change and international cooperation.
The meetings taking place in Eswatini are expected to focus heavily on economic partnerships, climate action, trade relations and the future implementation of the Samoa Agreement, which seeks to redefine cooperation between the EU and OACPS member states.
