Research evidence underpins climate-just finance policy at Ghanaian UN event

A Glasgow Caledonian PhD candidate who is due to graduate this summer has outlined the findings of his research in Ghana, which shows climate-just finance policies are required at a national level to ensure money gets to those who need it.

Stephen Kansuk, a team leader on the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ghana, conducted his PhD on climate justice and climate finance under the supervision of Professor Tahseen Jafry, director of the University’s Mary Robinson Centre for Climate Justice.

She joined Stephen for a high-level roundtable event at the UNDP Ghana, in a bid to form a research and knowledge exchange agenda around his work for Africa Climate Week, COP28 and beyond.

Stephen’s research highlighted that there is currently no framework in the country to track where climate finance goes, making it difficult to monitor if those who truly need it are receiving it.

Professor Jafry said: “As we continue to consider ways of increasing funding towards developing countries’ adaptation needs, there is also the need to examine the impact of the funds being mobilised to understand how it is advancing climate justice and equity at the local level.

“Findings from the study show that, while climate finance is critical in addressing climate injustice at the local levels, the absence of transparent and accountable systems to track the flow of climate finance reinforce climate injustices in rural Ghana with significant implications for gender equality at local levels.

“The research calls for global, bilateral and national climate-finance architecture and policies to integrate climate justice considerations into the design and implementation of climate-adaptation programmes.”

The outcomes of the deliberations, which involved the Ghanaian government, academics and members of civil society, will be summarised as a policy brief from which key priorities for action will be identified and pathways determined.