Introduced: Bogolo Joy Kenewendo

What do you work on as a Fellow of the Robert Bosch Academy?

I will continue my work on the interdependencies of sustainable economic development and climate action. With the renewed focus on climate diplomacy, it is important that we learn from the past failures of international cooperation and reimagine a functional system that will deliver for people and the planet. The conventional frameworks of international development are challenged by multiple, intersecting global crises of food, fuel, land, and financial.

The cyclical nature of these crises exposes systemic vulnerabilities and inequalities that conventional frameworks have struggled to address. They are being put to a stress test by the overlaying climate crisis. I will explore the future of geopolitics amid financial and war fragility, and reimagining international development cooperation through Inclusive collaborative frameworks, especially in unlocking development climate finance for Africa.

What are the biggest challenges in your field?

The biggest challenge to international development and cooperation is the trust deficit. In the past, parties have concluded agreements and then not honored the commitments. For example, in 2009 in Kopenhagen at the climate conference COP 15 “developed countries” made a pledge to mobilize USD 100 billion per year by 2020 of climate finance to address the needs of “developing countries.” But that target was never achieved. This begs the question of negotiation in good faith and the commitment to deliver on our common goals. Also, reduced official development assistance budgets in many developed countries, are exacerbated by economic constraints and shifting political priorities. This poses a threat to ongoing and future development initiatives. Exclusive processes that do not bring all of society together are also a challenge. We are seeing a change in bringing non-state actors into multilateral processes, but their spaces are still undefined and sometimes opportunistic. There is a need for the private sector, civil society, young people, indigenous people, etc., to be brought into the processes of framework construction early and not as stop gaps.

What has been your largest lesson learned in climate diplomacy in recent years?

I have learned many things, including that cautious optimism keeps cynicism away! It is critical to keep focused on the goal at hand and continue engaging even when things do not seem to move fast enough. It is also important to weigh mutual interests on the one hand and political ambition on the other. Resolving contradictions in these areas first provides a stable basis to address difficult and diverging issues. Also, sometimes the biggest change and shifts happen outside the system, especially driven by non-state actors. That is why it is important to recognize their contributions.

What insights for your work are you expecting to gain during your fellowship?

The role of middle powers crafting new frameworks for development cooperation. I also want to know if there is a shared exasperation with the failures of the conventional frameworks and how others reimagine development cooperation.

What makes Berlin and Germany relevant for your work?

Germany is one of the leading contributors to climate finance and has been engaging in varied forms of climate diplomacy. It is also interesting that the various German ministries are currently working on their Africa engagement strategies. Furthermore, the various partners I would like to engage are in or around Germany, so it is quite convenient. Beyond interesting for my work, it certainly should be interesting to live here, and take in the arts and culture scene.