Dakar, Senegal — As the international community gathers momentum toward the Thirtiet
h Conference of the Parties (COP30), TrustAfrica calls on global leaders to recognise that Africa’s participation in the climate agenda must be rooted in justice, historical accountability, and self-determination. In this African Union’s Year of Reparations (2025), and within the vision of Agenda 2063 — The Africa We Want, TrustAfrica affirms that meaningful climate action cannot occur without addressing the structural inequalities and ecological debts that have shaped the continent’s vulnerability.
Anchoring Africa’s Climate Vision in Justice
TrustAfrica’s Climate Justice Strategy places African agency at the centre of global climate dialogue. It affirms that climate justice is not an environmental issue alone, but a question of equity, governance, and reparative development.
As articulated in the Declaration of the Second Africa Climate Summit, African governments and civil society reaffirmed the continent’s leadership in proposing practical, just, and inclusive pathways toward resilience. TrustAfrica stands firmly behind this call — urging COP30 negotiators to ensure that commitments translate into transformative investments in adaptation, local innovation, and community-led solutions.
Reparations and Accountability in the Year of Reparations
The year 2025 marks a pivotal moment in Africa’s journey toward restorative justice. TrustAfrica joins continental partners in asserting that reparations must extend beyond the moral to the material — through equitable climate finance, debt cancellation, technology transfer, and fair trade arrangements that redress historical imbalances.
As one of Africa’s leading independent philanthropic institutions, TrustAfrica reiterates that reparative justice is inseparable from climate justice. The same global systems that extracted Africa’s wealth now owe an ecological and financial debt for the loss and damage experienced across the continent. A just climate transition must therefore include a new compact grounded in equity and historical responsibility.
Alignment with Agenda 2063 and the African Climate Agenda
The African Union’s Agenda 2063 envisions a peaceful, prosperous, and resilient continent driven by its citizens. TrustAfrica’s work advances this vision by investing in democratic governance, equitable development, and inclusive economies that safeguard Africa’s natural heritage.
TrustAfrica supports grassroots movements, policy dialogue, and regional collaboration to:
- Strengthen Africa’s voice in global climate negotiations;
- Promote loss and damage finance as a mechanism of reparative justice;
- Empower women, youth, and local communities as agents of adaptation and innovation; and
- Foster just transitions that uphold social and economic rights.
A Call to Action Ahead of COP30
As the world prepares for COP30, TrustAfrica urges governments, multilateral agencies, and private sector actors to move beyond rhetoric and adopt measures that reflect justice as both process and outcome. This includes:
- Reframing climate finance as a reparative obligation, not charity;
- Ensuring just transitions that protect livelihoods and rights;
- Investing in Africa-led adaptation and knowledge systems; and
- Upholding Africa’s collective positions under Agenda 2063 and the Africa Climate Summit Declaration.
About TrustAfrica
TrustAfrica is a Pan-African foundation established in 2006 to strengthen African initiatives that advance democracy, equitable development, and African agency. Headquartered in Dakar, Senegal, TrustAfrica works through grant-making, research, and policy dialogue to amplify African solutions to African challenges.
Our Climate Justice Strategy reflects our belief that the struggle for climate justice is inseparable from the broader struggle for social, economic, and epistemic justice. We are committed to ensuring that Africa speaks and acts for itself in shaping a sustainable and equitable future.
For media inquiries, interviews or additional information, please contact:
Abdarahmane Wone, wone@trustafrica.org
Our staff will be at COP30, Connect with us
Beatrice Makwenda, +265999944989, makwenda@trustafrica.org
Website: www.trustafrica.org
