DR. UZODINMA ADIRIEJE RALLIES AFRICAN CIVIL SOCIETY TO ISSUE HISTORIC CLARION CALL FOR ‘COP31’ IN TÜRKIYE: “FINANCING CLIMATE AND HEALTH ADAPTATION IN AFRICA”
Abuja, Nigeria
Ahead of the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31) in Türkiye, Dr. Uzodinma Akujekwe Adirieje – CEO and Permanent Representative to the UN System/ECOSOC for the Afrihealth Optonet Association (AHOA), has authored and spearheaded a landmark continental declaration titled: “African Civil Society Statement and Clarion Call to COP31 Türkiye: Financing Climate and Health Adaptation in Africa: From COP31 Commitments to Frontline Action.”
The declaration emerges from the 31st AHOA Life & Health Dialogue Session convened on 21 August 2026. Under Dr. Adirieje’s leadership as Lead Author, the initiative has mobilized an extraordinary show of solidarity, securing 373 endorsements from civil society organizations, health networks, researchers, and community leaders across 30 countries in Africa and around the globe.
EXTENSIVE CONTINENTAL AND GLOBAL SUPPORT
The endorsement list reflects a broad coalition of stakeholders spanning diverse geographic regions:
• African Representation: Widespread endorsement across African nations, including Nigeria, Kenya, Cameroon, Ghana, Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, South Sudan, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania, Egypt, Sudan, Morocco, Rwanda, Comoros, Somalia, Botswana, Eswatini, Burkina Faso, and Congo-Brazzaville.
• Global Solidarity: Additional signatures from civil society partners in international jurisdictions, including India, Bangladesh, Canada, and Haiti.
• Cross-Sectoral Coalition: Signatories encompass primary health agencies, academic institutions, youth groups, women’s empowerment foundations, environmental protection bodies, and humanitarian organizations.
KEY PILLARS OF THE CLARION CALL LED BY DR. ADIRIEJE
Dr. Adirieje’s declaration outlines five urgent COP31 commitments designed to bridge the climate-health financing gap and protect vulnerable frontline populations:
- Finance Adaptation at Scale: Demanding predictable, accessible, and appropriately structured adaptation funding for African nations while eliminating prohibitive counterpart-funding requirements.
- Prioritize Health as Core Adaptation: Shifting from general climate finance to dedicated climate-health finance—investing in climate-resilient hospitals, primary healthcare, disease surveillance, WASH, and emergency preparedness.
- Put Vulnerable Communities First: Directing resources toward women, children, low-income groups, refugees, and rural populations most impacted by extreme weather and changing disease patterns.
- African Ownership & Locally Led Solutions: Empowering Africa to be an architect and owner of its climate resilience agenda through initiatives like AHOA’s African Forest Protection Project, which links ecosystem conservation with community health livelihoods.
- Transparent and Accountable Finance: Establishing civil society-led monitoring to ensure announced financial pledges are actually disbursed and translated into measurable community impact.
EXECUTIVE VISION AND PROFILE OF DR. UZODINMA ADIRIEJE
Dr. Uzodinma Akujekwe Adirieje is an internationally recognized development economist, health economist, Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (MERL) specialist, and civil society leader. As CEO of AHOA—a global network with UN ECOSOC Consultative status and UNEP/UNEA Observer status—Dr. Adirieje has consistently positioned African health and climate resilience at the forefront of global governance frameworks, including the UNFCCC, COP cycles, and UN specialized agencies.
SUBMISSION TO GLOBAL LEADERSHIP
The African Civil Society Statement and Clarion Call is slated for formal submission to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the COP31 Presidencies ahead of mid-September 2026.
“Africa is not asking merely to be heard. Africa is calling for partnership, equity, ownership and delivery… What is urgently required is financing that is adequate, predictable, accessible, equitable and capable of taking proven solutions to scale.”
— Dr. Uzodinma Akujekwe Adirieje, Lead Author & CEO, AHOA
About Afrihealth Optonet Association (AHOA)
Afrihealth Optonet Association (AHOA) is a civil society organization global network and think-tank dedicated to health, community, and development priorities. Holding UN ECOSOC Consultative status and UNEP Observer status, AHOA works across climate action, health equity, humanitarian interventions, and sustainable development.