Positioning African Non-State Actors at the Heart of Climate Policy and Global Justice for ACS-II and Beyond

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – May 15, 2025 — Civil society, private sector leaders, researchers, and government representatives from across the continent have gathered in Addis Ababa for a pivotal two-day consultation (May 15–16) ahead of the Second Africa Climate Summit (ACS-II). The forum, convened, is dubbed “Accelerating Mobilization and Action Towards the Second Africa Climate Summit (ACS-II): Centering the Contribution of Africa Non-State Actors,” and aims to consolidate non-state actor engagement and chart a united path forward for climate action in Africa.

The meeting comes at a time when the role of African non-state actors (NSAs)—civil society organizations, faith institutions, private sector players, youth, women’s movements, academia, and Indigenous peoples—has never been more consequential. Hosted in collaboration with the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA), the Consortium for Climate Change Ethiopia, and other partners, the forum signals a maturing movement of voices seeking to ensure that Africa’s climate agenda is African-led and justice-centered.

Reclaiming the Climate Agenda

Launched in 2023, the Africa Climate Summit – Non-State Actors Steering Committee (ACS-NSA), facilitated by PACJA, has worked to establish a strong, coordinated response to the narrowing of Africa’s climate agenda to market-based solutions, such as carbon credits, at the expense of adaptation, loss and damage, and just transition priorities.

“Our aim remains clear,” said Mithika Mwenda, Executive Director of PACJA. “Africa’s engagement in international climate processes must be grounded in its realities and priorities. The ACS-NSA provides the platform for coherent and strategic mobilization of African civil society and other actors. We are not here to rubber-stamp anyone’s agenda. We are here to build a roadmap for ACS-II that reflects African realities and priorities—one that does not commodify our forests, auction our lands, or greenwash the exploitation of our critical minerals.

We are here to insist that climate action in Africa must mean energy for people, not for profit; resilience for communities, not just for economies; and justice for the present, not just promises for the future.”

The ACS-NSA platform brings together diverse constituencies—faith actors, youth groups, farmer and women organizations, academia, trade unions, and the private sector—into a unified voice. It previously galvanized over 2,300 organizations and individuals around the ACS-I Redlines and Demands, a statement that challenged the original framing of the Nairobi Summit and called for inclusive, justice-driven outcomes. Redline Statement

Ethiopia’s Commitment to a People-Centered Summit

Opening the forum, Ethiopia’s State Minister of Planning and Development, H.E. Mr. Seyoum Mekonen, underscored the urgency of collective African leadership in climate action. He emphasized that the continent “must not and will not remain on the periphery and victims of climate change,” adding that “Africa could drive change in global climate architecture and take the leadership in this regard.” Mr. Mekonen outlined Ethiopia’s climate-resilient development model—anchored in the Green Legacy Initiative, Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and renewable energy strategies—as an example of integrating environmental integrity with economic growth. He stressed Ethiopia’s vision for ACS-II, scheduled for September 8–10, 2025, with pre-summit engagements from September 5–7: “We are here not merely to convene, but to co-create and define the success of our ACS2.”

In a direct call to NSAs, Mr. Mekonen stated: “The role of non-state actors in this regard is invaluable and we kindly request you to closely work with us and support the process from now to the date of the ACS2.” He further appealed for technical and financial support to ensure the success of the summit.

Amplifying Grassroots and Sectoral Voices

Dr. Asman Aspo, board member at FEMNET and representing the African Business Council, highlighted the broad-based impacts of climate change on Africa’s informal and formal economies. “The private sector is not monolithic,” she stated. “It includes women entrepreneurs, small-scale miners, farmers, and youth innovators—all of whom are on the frontlines of climate disruption.”

Dr. Aspo articulated three strategic pillars of the Council: strengthening the private sector, influencing climate-relevant policy, and supporting product development aligned with green transformation. “We must move from pledges to partnerships, and from intentions to investments,” she asserted, urging governments and donors to include the private sector in co-developing climate finance mechanisms.

The African Business Council has established 25 clusters, among them focused on the green economy, climate justice, and women and youth support, which are envisioned to act as incubators for innovative, locally-driven solutions.

Preparing for ACS-II: Objectives of the Addis Ababa Convening; Participants in the Addis forum are focused on four core objectives:

• Organizing and agenda-setting for ACS-II, ensuring that Africa’s non-state actors are not just attendees, but shapers of the summit’s outcomes.
• Establishing a sustained engagement mechanism with the ACS-II preparatory process and eventual summit proceedings.
• Creating space for strategic interface with African Union institutions, UNECA, and the host government of Ethiopia.
• Exploring links with global solidarity efforts, especially around the themes of economic justice and mobilization toward COP30.

This convening is therefore not a one-off moment but a continuation of sustained Pan-African organising to challenge climate injustices and demand systems change.

rom the onset, the tone was set by Joachim Beijmo, Head of Regional Development Cooperation at the Embassy of Sweden in Ethiopia. In his opening address, Beijmo emphasized that this was more than a meeting—it was a moment. A moment to reaffirm shared values of justice, solidarity, and bold climate action. “Africa faces the brunt of the climate crisis,” he noted, “and without swift, inclusive, and justice-driven responses, the impacts will continue to deepen inequalities and instability.” He lauded the convening as a pivotal space for anchoring grassroots leadership in the global climate discourse and affirmed Sweden’s unwavering commitment to advancing a people-centered, justice-driven climate agenda.

As African non-state actors coalesce around ACS-II, their growing influence is transforming the Summit into Africa’s climate moment—a unique space to consolidate the continent’s agenda, shape global expectations, and push for structural reforms in the climate finance ecosystem. This sentiment was echoed by Rose Marie Arvid Larsen, Councillor and Team Leader for the Climate and Trade Team at the Embassy of Denmark, who highlighted Denmark’s commitment to allocating 60% of its climate finance to adaptation and supporting Africa’s most vulnerable communities. She emphasized the critical role of public finance in de-risking private investments and the need to deliver on the Loss and Damage Fund, reaffirming that Denmark stands ready to back inclusive, sustainable solutions.

The convening also received critical updates from H.E. Ruslan Nasibov, Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Ethiopia, representing the COP29 Presidency. He lauded the historic Baku Finance Goal of $300 billion per year by 2035, with potential scaling to $1.3 trillion through private sector engagement. His remarks underscored Africa’s role in leveraging new carbon markets under Article 6, operationalizing the Loss and Damage Fund, and aligning with the Baku Adaptation Roadmap. “Africa is central to global climate ambition,” he said, urging stakeholders to integrate outcomes from COP29 into a strong African roadmap for COP30.

In a compelling statement, Dr. Jihanne El Gaouzi, Head of the Sustainable Environment Division at the African Union Commission, reinforced the role of non-state actors as agents of accountability and implementation. “From women’s groups and youth-led movements to indigenous communities, these actors are the drivers of community-rooted solutions and policy influence,” she said. She called for increased capacity support, financing, and partnership-building, and advocated for improved monitoring, transparency, and tracking of summit outcomes to ensure sustained impact.

Looking Ahead: From Mobilization to Action

The forum in Addis Ababa reinforces the trajectory that began in Nairobi during ACS-I: to ensure Africa’s climate response is not externally defined, but rooted in justice, resilience, and equity. It reflects a continental awakening to the importance of building a unified voice that connects local struggles to global forums. As Mr. Mekonen aptly put it: “Let our voices be clear. Let our priorities be aligned. And let our collective actions reflect the dignity, resilience, and leadership of Africa on the global stage.”

The Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) and partners spearheading this convening reiterated the indispensable role of civil society in shaping continental priorities and injecting urgency and coherence into global advocacy. There was broad consensus that African priorities—particularly on adaptation finance, just transition, and fair share—must inform the ACS-II Declaration and COP30 positioning. Participants stressed that institutionalizing the Africa Climate Summit as a regular continental platform under the African Union will strengthen Africa’s ability to negotiate with a unified voice. Amidst shifting geopolitical tides and increased polarization in global climate politics, African civil society is standing tall, ready to lead, not from the periphery, but from the heart of climate diplomacy. With the road to ACS-II underway, the challenge for non-state actors is not only to advocate but to lead—articulating Africa’s vision, defining its demands, and building coalitions that extend beyond national and regional lines. The platform has been set; the direction is clear. What remains is sustained, strategic, and inclusive action.

Speeches:

Speech by SIDA

Speech by Dr. Mithika Mwenda

Speech by H.E. Seyoum- CSOs gathering on 13th  May 2025