Africa

Africa’s digital transformation is deeply intertwined with questions of power, strategic influence, and an evolving world order.1 As multipolarity reshapes international relations, the continent has become a focal point in the intensifying competition among major global powers for digital supremacy. Key actors that embrace techno-optimistic narratives and stand ready to partner with the region include the European Union (EU) and its member states, the United States (US), China, and India, among others.

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With European Parliament elections and leadership changes for both the EU and the AU focusing attention elsewhere, 2024 could in some respects be considered a ‘slow news’ year and continued the longer paralysis felt in the continent-to-continent relationship. Fundamental changes in the Sahel were ongoing. Elsewhere, progress was made in trade relations while the EU continued to place strong emphasis on its Global Gateway initiative to promote investment and increase its visibility. Changes at the European level, notably a new balance of power in the European Parliament and European Commission (also reflecting ongoing electoral shifts in the member states), pointed to a more transactional and assertive approach to the EU’s cooperation with Africa.

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A COP action agenda is not only for those who negotiate agreements but also for those, such as the indigenous people and local communities, essential for putting them into practice. Credit: Joyce Chimbi/IPS

By Joyce Chimbi
NAIROBI, Oct 8 2025 (IPS)

Once a year, the COP presidency or the role held by the Minister of Environment from the host government at a Conference of the Parties (COP) meeting, sets out on an ambitious, year-long journey in hopes of delivering the climate deal of a lifetime.

A deal that could stop and reverse the negative shifts in temperatures and weather patterns, such as intense flooding and prolonged drought, currently wreaking havoc all over the world, leading to loss of life, damage and destruction to property and a real threat of whole territories being wiped off the map.

Over the years, climate action or initiatives and measures to stop or at least reduce this loss and damage, has expanded, with companies setting out to reduce and ultimately end emission of harmful gases into the atmosphere, cities launching local measures to better cope with climate change, and indigenous communities restoring damaged ecosystems.

But these and many other replicable solutions are ongoing in isolation in every corner of the world. The COP30 presidency, now in the hands of Brazil, is working jointly with the UN Climate High-Level Champions team to ensure that in all matters climate, the right hand will, at all times and in real time, know what the left is doing.

A first in the history of COP, they have jointly developed and launched the Granary of Solutions, a platform that features concrete actions and instructive case studies designed to drive progress for people, the climate, and the global economy. The platform showcases a wide range of initiatives already driving change in various corners of the world. While many of the links are not yet populated, the aim is to provide an easily searchable database of climate fixes.

From weather information systems co-created with local communities to private-sector innovations in marine biofuels for cleaner shipping to subnational government actions that combine conservation, restoration, and sustainable production, these examples will showcase practical solutions delivering real-world results for people on the frontlines of climate change.

In other words, it is a showroom of successful climate action or initiatives and measures taken by individuals, communities, companies and governments to address climate change and its devastating impacts. Built on hundreds of initiatives and coalitions launched since COP21 in Paris, the granary brings together existing solutions and is open to the new contributions of best practices.

The granary is informed by the mantra that action leads to more action and that the more people learn about high-impact solutions to climate change, the more likely they are to do the same in their communities. This way, the UN and COP30 presidency believe the global community will accelerate and scale up solutions and impact in line with the Global Stocktake and the goals of the Paris agreement, adopted during COP21.

The global stocktake is a UN report card released after a periodic review of the world’s collective progress towards the goals of the Paris Agreement. The first report card was completed during COP28 in 2023, after a global inventory of ongoing measures to meet the climate crisis demand as outlined in the Paris Agreement.

The agreement has 196 Parties, comprising 195 countries plus the European Union. It is a legally binding international treaty adopted within the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) with the goal of limiting global warming.

UNFCCC is the multilateral, involving many parties, environmental agreement adopted in 1992 to prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system. It is the parent agreement for other key international climate agreements, such as the Paris Agreement, that primarily seek to ensure global average temperatures do not rise above pre-industrial levels.

This agreement is critical, as it changed how climate change is discussed and addressed by shifting from a top-bottom approach and opening the door for cities, regions, investors, businesses and civil society to contribute more directly as opposed to just governments. It is within this context that many different actors can contribute to the granary of solutions and help close the gaps identified in the 2023 UN’s global stocktake.

Home to real, replicable solutions that are already delivering impact, the granary of solutions is meant to be a trusted source to speed up global climate action. Only practical climate actions that align with the global stocktake and the Paris Agreement are included.

Experience of the past decade has shown that while the UNFCCC has broadened participation and resulted in significant progress in achieving global climate goals, it has not led to stronger coordination, clearer delivery, and more consistent support to boost action all over the world. The granary will connect efforts across countries and sectors.

It will also be the springboard for the COP30 action agenda. Since COP21, when the Paris Agreement was reached, every COP has established an agenda or a set of issues on the table for negotiation in line with the Paris Agreement and the overall UNFCCC goal.

It is this agenda of negotiations that then produces the annual COP agreement adopted by all the countries party to the Paris Agreement and is valid as international law. Importantly, the Action Agenda also engages actors who do not negotiate agreements, yet are essential for putting them into practice.

Drawing from the first global stocktake and the granary of solutions, the COP30 action agenda is a comprehensive framework or unified plan to mobilize all actors around new and existing initiatives designed to meet the climate crisis demands in the next five years. The next UN global stocktake will be implemented in 2028, as the process is designed to occur every five years.

Against this backdrop, the COP30 agenda is organized around six key areas: transitioning energy, industry, and transport; stewarding forests, oceans, and biodiversity; transforming agriculture and food systems; building resilience for cities, infrastructure, and water; and fostering human and social development.

Other issues, such as finance, technology, and capacity building, are considered cross-cutting. In all, objectives range from tripling renewable energy capacity and halting deforestation to achieving universal access to clean cooking and ensuring safe, sustainable and equitable water systems.

Through these six key areas, the COP30 agenda speaks directly to the first Global Stocktake by translating its findings into concrete solutions such as providing finance, technology and capacity building to undertake the climate actions or initiatives that can reduce or prevent climate change to hasten the implementation of the objectives of the Paris Agreement and the overall goals of the UNFCCC.

IPS UN Bureau Report

Note: This explainer is published with the support of Open Society Foundations.

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Excerpt:

Since COP21 in Paris, thousands of climate solutions by communities, businesses, cities, regions, and financial institutions have been developed in pursuit of the goals of the Paris Agreement. Now COP 30’s searchable database and platform, the Granary of Solutions, should make these accessible to all.

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Wednesday 8 October

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

Wednesday 8 October

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

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Addressing the urban food insecurity crisis will require vision, coordinated actions and strategies, and sustained commitment from city governments, academia, the private sector, and NGOs. Credit: Shutterstock

By Esther Ngumbi
URBANA, Illinois, US, Oct 7 2025 (IPS)

Millions of people in the United States and around the world continue to face food insecurity, meaning they cannot access safe and nutritious food necessary for living their fullest lives, and they often do not know where their next meal will come from. According to Feeding America, 47 million people in the United States are food insecure. Worldwide, 673 million people experience food insecurity.

Traditionally, efforts to address food insecurity have focused on populations in rural and suburban areas; however, recent census data and statistics show that more people now live in urban areas. According to the 2020 U.S. census, 80% of the U.S. population resides in urban areas, and this is expected to rise to 89% by 2050. Similarly, a United Nations report states that over half of the world’s population lives in urban areas, and this proportion is projected to grow to 70 percent by 2050.

As city populations continue to grow and urban food insecurity remains a persistent and urgent issue, reimagining urban and peri-urban spaces as centers of food-growing innovation is no longer optional; it is essential

Unsurprisingly, a groundbreaking 2024 report by the High-Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition showed that more than 75 percent of the world’s food-insecure population lives in urban and peri-urban areas, depending on markets for their food instead of growing it themselves.

Therefore, it is becoming increasingly important to broaden initiatives focused on addressing food insecurity to include populations in urban and peri-urban areas. Several interconnected strategies can be put into action to accomplish this.

Food insecurity in urban communities can be tackled through various strategies.

First, efforts to expand urban agriculture through community gardens, rooftop farms, container gardens, and other innovative urban farming methods that transform unused spaces and farmlands into productive food-growing areas should be supported.

Investing in food production near urban cities provides several benefits, including shortening supply chains, reducing dependence on imports, improving nutrition, and strengthening local resilience against climate-related shocks and disruptions in the food system.

Second, there is a need to improve food distribution within urban communities. Even when food is plentiful and easy to access, unequal distribution and access can still cause urban hunger.

Therefore, it remains essential to invest in mobile markets, expand cold storage facilities, and explore innovative and creative ways to deliver food to vulnerable households and communities. Doing so will help close this gap and ensure that food reaches those who need it most.

Third, there is a need to support and promote investments and policies that aim to build sustainable and inclusive urban food systems. Therefore, city councils and governments should intentionally incorporate food security goals into their planning.

These goals can include allocating land for local food production, establishing formal city food policy councils, and addressing unequal access to affordable and healthy food for all residents in urban areas.

The good news is that several cities across the United States have embraced this shift. For example, Seattle’s initiative was established under the city’s local food program to create a strong and resilient food system. Similar efforts have been carried out in other U.S. cities, including Detroit, Minneapolis, Austin, and Chicago.

Complementing these efforts is the need to strengthen social protection programs and safety nets for vulnerable populations living in cities. These include initiatives like school feeding programs, food vouchers, and other innovative nutrition and food assistance projects.

These initiatives can also incorporate education and awareness campaigns to promote healthy eating, reduce food waste, and motivate urban community members to engage in local food-growing activities.

As city populations continue to grow and urban food insecurity remains a persistent and urgent issue, reimagining urban and peri-urban spaces as centers of food-growing innovation is no longer optional; it is essential.

Addressing the urban food insecurity crisis will require vision, coordinated actions and strategies, and sustained commitment from city governments, academia, the private sector, and NGOs.

By investing in inclusive, evolving food systems and empowering communities to shape their food futures, our cities can transform from hunger hotspots into vibrant, nourished communities where all residents have access to healthy, affordable, and nutritious food. The time to act is now.

Esther Ngumbi, PhD is Assistant Professor, Department of Entomology, African American Studies Department, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

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