African Environmental Defenders: Let us take these demands to COP

This briefing outlines key priorities and advocacy goals for African environmental defenders attending the CBD COP16 and UNFCCC COP29 negotiations, focusing on human rights protections, biodiversity targets, and climate finance.

• At CBD COP16, environmental defenders are prioritizing three targets of the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). Target 3, the '30X30' goal to conserve 30% of land and sea, is viewed with concern that it could lead to the eviction of Indigenous Peoples and local communities from their lands. Target 22 focuses on the inclusive participation of Indigenous Peoples and the protection of environmental defenders, while Target 23 addresses gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.
• Defenders identify a significant disconnect in Africa between governments signing international policy agreements and the actual national implementation of those commitments. To address this at COP16, they are advocating for human rights-based monitoring systems, comprehensive indicators to measure compliance, and robust redress mechanisms for rights violations by state and private actors.
• Regarding UNFCCC COP29, African defenders criticize 'Nature-Based Solutions' (NBS) as 'false solutions' and 'dangerous distractions' used by private actors to offset carbon emissions, which they argue allows fossil fuel companies to maintain 'business as usual' while causing land dispossession and loss of livelihoods for Indigenous Peoples.
• For COP29, defenders are pushing for a new collective quantified goal for climate finance that is ambitious, needs-based, and grounded in climate justice. They specifically advocate for grant-based finance for Global South countries to avoid worsening debt crises or accepting loans with austerity conditionalities that undermine state sovereignty.
• African defenders are calling for the ramp-up of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) ahead of COP30. They argue that NDCs for both their own countries and major emitters must be informed by human rights, equity, and the lived experiences of front-line communities.

APA

Martens, C. (2024). African Environmental Defenders: Let us take these demands to COP. Natural Justice. https://naturaljustice.org/african-environmental-defenders-let-us-take-these-demands-to-cop/

Chicago

Martens, Claire. African Environmental Defenders: Let us take these demands to COP. Natural Justice, 2024. https://naturaljustice.org/african-environmental-defenders-let-us-take-these-demands-to-cop/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Martens |first1=Claire |title=African Environmental Defenders: Let us take these demands to COP |publisher=Natural Justice |date=7 October 2024 |url=https://naturaljustice.org/african-environmental-defenders-let-us-take-these-demands-to-cop/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{martens2024african, author = {Martens, Claire}, title = {{African Environmental Defenders: Let us take these demands to COP}}, institution = {Natural Justice}, year = {2024}, month = oct, url = {https://naturaljustice.org/african-environmental-defenders-let-us-take-these-demands-to-cop/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }