East Africa agrees one voice for the climate summit
The bloc will ask for adaptation money to be tripled by 2035 and for countries to draw directly on the loss and damage fund.
Machakos — East African governments have agreed a common position for next month's United Nations climate summit, COP31, in Antalya, Türkiye.
Officials from the East African Community's member states met in Machakos, Kenya, from 29 September to 3 October to settle it.
"When we speak with one voice, we stand on firmer ground in international negotiations," said William Tayebwa of Uganda's Ministry of East African Community Affairs.
What they will ask for
- Adaptation finance tripled by 2035. This is money to cope with a climate that has already changed, as opposed to money to cut emissions.
- The Loss and Damage Fund fully financed, with countries able to draw on it directly.
- Full funding for the Santiago Network, which provides technical help after climate disasters.
- A fair share of carbon markets under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.
- Better early warning systems, and more room for women and young people in climate action.
The cost of waiting
The bloc put figures on the damage. African countries are losing between 2% and 5% of their economic output each year to climate extremes, it said, and some spend as much as 9% of their national budgets responding to disasters.
Next
The position has been passed to the African Group of Negotiators, which speaks for the continent at the talks. The community will also hold its own events and meetings in Antalya.
Susanne Wallenoeffer, who manages a project that supported the process, said the agreement "should not be seen as the end of the process, but as the beginning".
Source: East African Community, 5 October 2026.
