African Civil Society Unites for COP30 Climate Strategy in Brazil

As COP30 approaches in Belém, Brazil, international and African civil society organizations are actively preparing to influence the global climate agenda with a strong emphasis on climate justice and human rights. The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) experts highlight the need for a just phaseout of fossil fuels and protection of environmental defenders, advocating for climate policies grounded in human rights principles. African civil society groups, meeting in Nairobi, aim to present a unified position to ensure African realities and solutions shape the continent's stance at COP30, focusing on issues like adaptation finance, gender, and energy transition. Concurrently, the African Climate Justice Collective's counter-COP in Benin has condemned the global climate system for perpetuating exploitation and climate colonialism, demanding reparations, an end to extractivism, and energy sovereignty. Meanwhile, in Liberia, UN Women supports rural women as key stakeholders in climate resilience and peacebuilding, emphasizing their vital role in sustainable development. Contrasting these global grassroots and civil society efforts, the U.S. under President Trump has withdrawn support for the 'Solar for All' program aimed at aiding low-income families with solar energy, and is blocking international measures like a global shipping carbon levy, actions that undermine global climate finance trust and justice.