Hailed as the “People’s COP”, the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30), which took place in Belém, Brazil, in 2025, offered an opportunity to revisit the spirit of the 1992 Rio Conventions and reignite global ambition across climate action, biodiversity conservation and land restoration. The Brazilian Presidency has rightly called for a paradigm shift, urging Parties to place Locally Determined Contributions (LDCs) at the heart of COP30 outcomes.
The COP30 held in Brazil presented a critical opportunity to reposition Africa’s Climate Agenda and advance a global response grounded in Climate Justice, equity, and shared responsibilities. Against the backdrop of escalating climate impacts, growing geopolitical tensions, rising debt burdens and persistent inequalities in climate finance, African countries face the dual challenge of strengthening climate resilience while pursuing sustainable development, poverty eradication, and a just energy transition.
What we did at COP30
At COP30, the African Non-State Actors coordinated by the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA), and partners consolidated the perspectives and demands of more than 10,000 representatives from diverse sectors and communities across the continent. It calls for renewed global solidarity, stronger multilateral cooperation, and accountability for unmet climate commitments, emphasising that climate finance is an obligation rather than charity.
The position identified key priorities, including increased grant-based adaptation finance, effective support for loss and damage, equitable mitigation, inclusive just transitions, and reforms to the international financial architecture. It also underscored the importance of locally led solutions, gender justice, community participation, and Africa’s right to industrialisation and development. Ultimately, the statement calls for COP30 to translate political commitments into concrete action that responds to African realities, protects vulnerable communities, and ensures a fair, inclusive, and sustainable future for present and future generations.