Africa is home to a remarkable biodiversity of animals, plants and marine life. The continent is rich in tropical forests, wetlands, deserts, savannas and mountain grasslands, which provide critical ecosystem services and act as buffers for climate change. For example, mangrove swamps protect coastal communities in East Africa from cyclones and tsunamis, while serving as homes for various species and a source of income for the local population.

However, the region is experiencing a dramatic loss of biodiversity. Agricultural and other human expansion on land and in the sea, overexploitation of wildlife and the spread of invasive alien species are some of the driving forces for the loss of biodiversity, as well as climate change and pollution. Researchers have warned that climate change alone by 2100 could cause the loss of more than half of mammalian and avian species and trigger a 10-30% decline in lake productivity.

The effects are already obvious and if we fail to address these interconnected crises, we will see more hunger, new pandemics, greater injustices and marginalization, more conflicts and forced migration. Conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity is a cornerstone of development – loss of diversity entails risks for existing development gains and for further progress. And we know that climate change and the loss of biodiversity are particularly affecting people living in rural areas, who are often the poorest.

How do we deal with the ongoing catastrophic loss of biodiversity while building better and fairer societies in the wake of the pandemic? We know that urgent action is needed at global, continental, regional and local levels, and we must work together. To address these challenges, the African Union recently launched a new Continental Green Recovery Action Plan for the period 2021-2027, which includes a Pillar of Biodiversity. Sweden is honored to be a co-defender of this important initiative. Through cooperation with African countries and partners, we will implement this plan on the spot and show positive examples.

Nature-based solutions will be identified and implemented. The focus will be on biodiversity through work on sustainable land management, including forestry, and marine ecosystems. We can and must all ensure that we put climate action and the protection of biodiversity at the heart of national budgets and planning processes. This in turn will facilitate resource mobilization to implement the 2030 Agenda, Agenda 2063 and the Paris Agreement and the protection of biodiversity. Let us use the urgency of climate action and the protection of biodiversity as a driving force for broader development gains as well. There is no contradiction between limiting fossil fuel emissions and achieving economic growth. Instead, we know that the transition to green, environmentally friendly energy solutions creates employment and contributes to development, through increased trade and investment.

The African Union Commission is determined to work with its Member States, regional economic communities, partners and relevant stakeholders to drive Africa’s economic recovery from Covid-19 in a sustainable way. The Commission aims to do this by implementing the Green Recovery Action Plan: the five pillars – climate finance, renewable energy, nature-based solutions and biodiversity; Resilient Agriculture and Green Resilient Cities to drive Africa’s economic recovery from Covid-19 in a sustainable way. Sweden will play its part as one of the largest financial contributors to climate change and biodiversity-related development assistance. Ensuring resilience to climate change is a key focus of our bilateral and regional development programs across Africa.

2021 is the African Union’s year of art, culture and heritage. When we talk about culture and heritage, it includes not only a society’s social behavior and norms, but also the society we want to pass on to the next generation.

Loss of biodiversity and climate change are both driven by human economic activities and mutually reinforcing each other. Neither of them will be resolved successfully unless both are tackled. And just as people are responsible for this multiple crisis, we also have the power to decide on sustainable solutions to change this path. For this reason, a successful outcome of the UN climate conference COP26 in Glasgow is crucial. Equally important is to come together and adopt an agreement on biodiversity, to save lives on earth. This will be the focus of the second part of the UN Conference on Biological Diversity COP 15, which is scheduled to take place in Kunming, China in 2022.

It is in our common interest to promote an agenda that ensures a green transition and promotes sustainable development. This is the time to not only talk but also go for a walk. The African Union and Sweden are committed to fulfilling our commitments, and we urge others to step up their efforts as we build better and greener for the next generation.