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As the world convenes for the 30th UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Belém, Brazil, Yanayi Haki Afriqya has launched the African Youth Position Paper titled “From Sub-Saharan Africa to the Amazon: Youth Voices for Climate Justice and a Just Future.”
Africa stands at the frontline of the climate crisis yet remains on the margins of responsibility. The continent contributes less than 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions, yet it endures some of the world’s most severe climate impacts, from prolonged droughts in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Sahel to rising floods in East Africa and devastating cyclones along the southern coast. This imbalance exposes the persistent injustice in the global climate regime: those who pollute the least continue to pay the highest price.
At the same time, Africa holds some of the planet’s greatest potential for renewable energy, biodiversity protection, and youth-driven innovation. With over 60% of the population under 25, the continent is not a victim but a critical partner in global transformation. What Africa needs is not sympathy, but equitable access to finance, technology, and decision-making power to drive its own climate-resilient future.
It is against this backdrop that Yanayi Haki Afriqya and its youth partners are calling for a shift at COP30 from pledges to measurable progress, from promises to justice, and from exclusion to shared leadership.
Africa’s Youth Vision for COP30
African youth envision a continent powered by renewable energy, nourished by sustainable food systems, and governed by equity and rights. They emphasize that youth are not observers but implementers, driving local innovation, renewable energy access, and community-led resilience across Africa.
Key Calls from African Youth to COP30 Negotiators
- Deliver on existing climate agreements through measurable, time-bound actions that translate commitments into tangible results.
- Operationalise the Loss and Damage Fund with direct, simplified access for African and other vulnerable communities, ensuring transparency and accountability in its governance.
- Implement the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) adopted at COP29 in Baku, which commits developed countries to mobilise a minimum of $300 billion per year by 2035 and up to $1.3 trillion annually from all sources. (a) Youth call for transparent, grant-based, and equitable disbursement of NCQG-linked funds, prioritising adaptation, loss and damage, and community resilience. (b)The NCQG must be operationalised through youth-inclusive mechanisms, such as a Youth Climate Innovation and Finance Facility under the Green Climate Fund (GCF) or African Development Bank (AfDB) to finance youth-led mitigation and adaptation initiatives.
- Establish an International Mechanism for Just Transition (IMJT) to guarantee decent jobs, reskilling, and fairness in the shift to 100% renewable energy, ensuring no one is left behind.Advance the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) with localised, youth-inclusive indicators that measure progress on resilience, water security, food systems, and livelihoods.
- Enhance technology transfer and digital capacity-building programmes for youth and women to strengthen Africa’s position in the global green economy.
Africa’s Message: Finance Must Deliver Justice
While the adoption of the NCQG represents progress beyond the former $100 billion pledge, African youth emphasise that delivery and accessibility remain the real tests of ambition. Finance must be grant-based, transparent, and accessible to youth, women, and frontline communities. Debt-driven finance mechanisms, they warn, undermine justice and reverse development gains. “Climate finance is not charity; it is an obligation under the Convention and the Paris Agreement,” the statement reiterates. African youth demand that COP30 shift from pledges to performance, ensuring that climate finance truly reaches those most in need.
A Call for Ambition, Accountability, and Solidarity
Through this position paper, Yanayi Haki Afriqya and African Youth reaffirm that protecting Africa’s future means protecting the planet.
From Sub-Saharan Africa to the Amazon, youth are uniting across continents to demand a just transition, equitable finance, and a climate regime that delivers for all.
“Protecting Africa is protecting the planet. COP30 must be remembered as the Implementation COP – where promises become progress, and justice becomes action.”
About the Position Paper
The COP30 African Youth Position Paper was developed by Yanayi Haki Afriqya through a dialogue with representation from young people across the continent. It provides a framework for engaging African negotiators, policymakers, and partners to ensure that youth priorities and African realities are reflected in global climate outcomes.
Link to Download: https://www.climate-justice.africa/yanayi-haki-afriqya-cop30-position-paper/
