Policy-makers and climate financing in African LDCs: The case of Zambia

What matters to African governments in climate financing? When it comes to global agreements and negotiations such as the UNFCCC and Financing for Development (FfD) processes, the positions of African governments are relatively well known. However, much less attention has been paid to the domestic politics and interests in climate financing in African countries or to how these relate to the multilateral UN negotiations. Understanding this is increasingly important, as the historic COP21 agreement in Paris is based on national aims and plans, and without their successful implementation, the entire global agreement will fail. Appreciating domestic political interests and dynamics in respect of climate financing in African countries is therefore just as important as it is to understand the motives and interests that drive (and sometimes derail) climate financing in the North. If collaboration on global climate financing is to succeed, mutual understanding of the interests that lie beyond the formal negotiating tables is critical.