Arusha: The African Climate Platform (ACP), a coalition of African civil society groups and its partners, has petitioned the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights, demanding climate justice and intergenerational equity as guiding principles in regional and global decision-making.
According to Ghana News Agency, the ACP, along with partners such as Resilient40, Natural Justice, the Environmental Lawyer Collective for Africa, and the Pan African Lawyers Union (PALU), is calling on all Africans to support the petition. Since April 27, 2025, environmental lawyers, climate advocates, Indigenous leaders, women's rights campaigners, and youth activists from across Africa have gathered in Arusha to finalize the petition. This initiative calls for a united continental response to the growing climate emergency that disproportionately impacts Africa's most vulnerable communities.
The petition outlines several core legal and ethical priorities, including legal standards for climate adaptation, resilience, and addressing loss and damage. It emphasizes the protection of indigenous peoples, women, youth, and environmental defenders, as well as accountability for multinational corporations and historic polluters. A copy of the petition made available to the Ghana News Agency further seeks to promote a just and equitable energy transition, demands decolonized natural resource governance, and calls for zero tolerance for reprisals against activists and communities defending their environment.
Legal experts have hailed this move as a watershed moment in the advancement of environmental justice on the continent, marking the first time the African Court's advisory jurisdiction would be used to confront the climate crisis. Climate justice advocates describe it as a transformative shift in Africa's legal landscape.
During a virtual news conference ahead of the petition's submission to the Court in Arusha, Tanzania, representatives from across Africa shared powerful testimonies on the human cost of the climate crisis, highlighting the petition's significance and outlining the way forward. Organizers emphasize that the petition is more than a legal action; it is a powerful expression of grassroots solidarity and a bold step in redefining climate governance across the continent.
'Africa, which contributes only a small fraction of global greenhouse gas emissions, is facing some of the most severe consequences of climate change,' said Mr. Alfred Brownell, Lead Campaigner of the African Climate Platform. He emphasized that Africa must not be treated as a victim but as a key partner in finding a climate solution, noting that 'Africans continue to suffer as a result of climate change and its impact on her people.'
This petition is a heartfelt plea for justice and a call to action to protect the rights and dignity of millions of Africans whose lives are being upended by environmental devastation. Mr. Brownell called on African leaders to take decisive action toward seeking climate justice and lauded the contributions of African legal experts, community members, youth leaders, and scientists who remained resilient in the fight.
The petition is grounded in key regional legal frameworks, including the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights, the Maputo Protocol, the Kampala Convention, and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child. It seeks judicial clarification on African states' responsibilities in safeguarding rights such as life, health, housing, food, water, and a healthy environment in the face of climate change.
'Egyptian activist Ahmad Abdallah noted that North Africa is already witnessing the harsh realities of water scarcity, displacement, and economic turmoil. 'This is not a future crisis, it's unfolding now,' he added. Lucien Limacher of Natural Justice stated that Southern Africa is reeling from its worst drought in a century, with over 61 million people affected. Women and girls are disproportionately burdened, facing interrupted education and increased exposure to gender-based violence.
In West Africa, cocoa yields are collapsing, and record-breaking heat is threatening livelihoods and entire economies,' said Peter Quaqua of Liberia's MRU CSO Platform. Dorcas Sikujua Faida from the Democratic Republic of Congo warned of a 'triple crisis of flooding, drought, and conflict' that is overwhelming fragile states and endangering millions of lives.
The climate crisis magnifies long-standing gender inequalities,' said Shahinaz Adel from Egypt. Women, often family caretakers and breadwinners, face the brunt of these environmental shocks. Inna Maria Shikongo, a Namibian artist and influencer, emphasized: 'We must confront the climate injustices experienced daily by women and youth across Africa.'
Madam Agnes Kabujuni of the Minority Rights Group noted that Indigenous peoples, who have contributed the least to global emissions, are 'the most affected yet hold vital knowledge for climate resilience.' Madam June Cynthia Okelo, Economic Governance Officer at PALU, summed it up: 'Africa is not a shock absorber for polluters. This is a human rights emergency. It is time for courts to take a stand.'