COP30: African youth push for climate justice – DW

Report on African Activist Engagement at COP30 and Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction: Context of COP30 and SDG Imperatives

The 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), held in Belem, Brazil, serves as a critical juncture for reviewing progress on the 2015 Paris Agreement. This report details the perspectives and demands of African youth activists at the conference, with a significant emphasis on the alignment of their advocacy with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Advocacy for Integrated Climate Action and Socio-Economic Goals

Anita Soina: Linking Climate Change to Foundational SDGs

Kenyan climate activist Anita Soina highlighted the direct impact of environmental degradation on fundamental human needs, underscoring the interconnectedness of several SDGs.

• SDG 13 (Climate Action): Soina’s primary focus is on advocating for urgent climate action, drawing from her direct experience with climate-induced crises in Kenya.
• SDG 15 (Life on Land): She identified deforestation as a principal driver of environmental instability in her community.
• SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) & SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation): Soina explicitly linked deforestation to subsequent drought, hunger, and water scarcity, demonstrating how climate inaction directly undermines food and water security.

Despite cautious optimism about the Global South’s role at COP30, Soina identified a lack of political will as a major barrier to progress, affecting the allocation of resources and the achievement of climate-related SDGs in Africa.

Hilda Nakabuye: Championing Gender Equality and Clean Energy

Ugandan activist Hilda Nakabuye, attending her fifth COP, centered her advocacy on the rights of marginalized communities and a just energy transition.

• SDG 5 (Gender Equality): Her work specifically focuses on empowering youth and women in Uganda, ensuring their voices are central to climate solutions.
• SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy): Nakabuye actively opposes the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), advocating for a transition to sustainable energy sources and challenging projects that threaten environmental and social well-being.
• SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities): She demands that leaders at COP30 prioritize the voices of communities disproportionately affected by a crisis they did not create, calling for equitable decision-making processes.

Strengthening Institutions and Partnerships for the Goals

Maurice K. Nyambe: Demanding Accountability for SDG 16

Maurice K. Nyambe, representing Transparency International from Zambia, stressed that effective climate action is contingent upon robust governance and institutional integrity, a core tenet of SDG 16.

1. Transparency in Climate Finance: He called for the integration of transparency and accountability mechanisms into all climate finance and carbon trading discussions.
2. Strengthening Institutions: His demands align directly with SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions), arguing that without accountability, pledges and resources will fail to translate into meaningful action on the ground.

Simon Peter Longoli: Advancing Rights for Indigenous Communities

Simon Peter Longoli from Uganda advocated for the formal recognition of pastoralist communities within the UNFCCC process, a milestone for advancing SDG 10.

• SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities): The formal recognition of pastoralists as a distinct group of “local communities” is seen as a significant step toward ensuring their participation in climate policy.
• SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions): Longoli’s efforts aim to formalize the participation of indigenous groups, thereby creating more inclusive and effective institutions for climate governance.

Conclusion: A Call for Global South Solidarity and SDG Realization

Key Demands from African Youth Activists

The collective voice of African activists at COP30 presents a unified call for action that moves beyond rhetoric. Their demands are intrinsically linked to the successful implementation of the SDGs.

• Climate Justice and Finance: A primary demand is for tangible climate finance commitments from wealthy nations to support adaptation and mitigation in vulnerable regions, directly supporting SDG 13 (Climate Action) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).
• Community Empowerment: Activists agree that empowering local communities to understand their rights and participate in development is essential for sustainable outcomes.
• Global South Cooperation: There is a strong call for enhanced cooperation among nations of the Global South, from the Amazon to Africa, to collectively address the climate crisis and advocate for their shared interests, reinforcing the principles of SDG 17.

The presence of these activists in Belem represents a demand for accountability and the translation of global climate commitments into concrete actions that advance the entire 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

SDGs Addressed in the Article

• SDG 13: Climate Action

  The entire article revolves around climate change, focusing on the COP30 climate conference, the Paris Agreement’s goals to limit global warming, and the impacts of climate change like droughts and floods. It highlights the work of climate activists demanding tangible actions to curb climate change.

• SDG 2: Zero Hunger

  The article directly links climate change impacts to food security. It states that deforestation fuels “hunger” and that droughts and the loss of farmland “threaten millions of livelihoods and food security” in Africa.

• SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

  The text mentions that deforestation leads to “water scarcity.” It also highlights the threat the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) poses to “water sources relied on by over 40 million people,” including Lake Victoria, Africa’s largest freshwater lake.

• SDG 15: Life on Land

  The issue of “deforestation” is cited as a primary driver of climate impacts. The article also discusses the threat of “irreversible damage to biodiversity” and the disruption of sensitive ecosystems like Murchison Falls National Park due to the EACOP project.

• SDG 5: Gender Equality

  The article prominently features female activists like Anita Soina and Hilda Nakabuye, showcasing their leadership in the climate movement. Nakabuye’s work specifically focuses on empowering “youth and women in Uganda,” and the call to center the voices of marginalized communities implicitly includes women.

• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

  The need for stronger institutions is highlighted by the call for “mechanisms to ensure accountability” and “transparency” in climate finance. The article also points to a “lack of political will” in Africa as a major barrier, indicating a need for more effective and accountable governance.

• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

  The article emphasizes the disproportionate vulnerability of the “Global South” and Africa to a crisis they “did not create.” The demand for “climate justice,” financial support for developing nations, and the inclusion of “marginalized communities,” “indigenous people,” and “pastoralists” in decision-making processes all point to reducing inequalities.

• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

  The article is set against the backdrop of COP30, a global partnership to address climate change under the UNFCCC. It discusses international commitments like the Paris Agreement, the need for “climate finance commitments” from wealthy nations to the Global South, and calls for “deeper cooperation among Global South nations.”

Specific SDG Targets Identified

SDG 13: Climate Action

• Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters. This is implied by the mention of pastoralists needing to adapt to recurring droughts and communities being devastated by droughts and floods.
• Target 13.a: Implement the commitment undertaken by developed-country parties to the UNFCCC. The article’s focus on COP30, the review of the Paris Agreement, and the call for climate finance for the Global South directly relate to this target.

SDG 2: Zero Hunger

• Target 2.4: Ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices. This is relevant as the article states that climate change, through droughts and loss of farmland, threatens “food security.”

SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

• Target 6.6: Protect and restore water-related ecosystems. This is directly addressed by the concerns over the EACOP pipeline’s potential to cause “irreversible damage” to water sources like Lake Victoria.

SDG 15: Life on Land

• Target 15.2: Promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation. The article explicitly identifies “deforestation” as a cause of drought, hunger, and water scarcity. Activist Anita Soina’s group organizes “tree planting” campaigns, which is a direct action towards this target.
• Target 15.5: Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity. This is highlighted by the warning that the EACOP pipeline could cause “irreversible damage to biodiversity” by cutting through sensitive areas like national parks.

SDG 5: Gender Equality

• Target 5.5: Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership in political, economic and public life. The article showcases female activists in leadership roles and quotes Hilda Nakabuye’s demand to “put people’s voices — especially those of marginalized communities — at the center of their decisions,” advocating for inclusive participation.

SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

• Target 16.6: Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels. This is explicitly mentioned by Maurice K. Nyambe of Transparency International, who demands the inclusion of “transparency [and] accountability” in all climate finance and carbon trading discussions.
• Target 16.7: Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels. This is reflected in the activists’ demands for “genuine participation in decision-making” and the effort to have local communities like pastoralists “formally recognized within the UN framework.”

Indicators for Measuring Progress

• Global temperature rise: The article explicitly mentions the Paris Agreement’s goal to “limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius… and to pursue efforts to cap the rise at 1.5 C.” This is a key, measurable indicator of progress on climate action.
• Climate finance flows: The demand for “climate finance commitments” and the observation that they “remain largely unfulfilled” positions the amount of financial resources provided by wealthy nations to the Global South as a critical indicator of partnership and justice.
• Emission reduction targets: The article mentions that COP30 will assess “progress on emission targets,” making these national commitments a clear indicator for measuring whether countries are fulfilling their climate pledges.
• Inclusion in decision-making: The formal recognition of pastoralists as a “local communities” caucus within the UNFCCC process is presented as a “milestone.” This serves as an indicator of progress towards more inclusive and participatory governance in climate negotiations.
• Accountability mechanisms: The call for “mechanisms to ensure accountability” in climate finance is an implied indicator. The existence and effectiveness of such mechanisms would measure the strength and transparency of institutions.

Summary of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: dw.com