GLOBAL SOUTH VOICES TO COP28

The document outlines a framework for a Just Energy Transition (JET) in Latin America, the Caribbean (LAC), and Africa, emphasizing the need to move beyond fossil fuel dependence toward sustainable, community-led energy systems. It identifies shared priorities between the regions, such as social participation and economic diversification, while noting distinct challenges: LAC focuses more on financing mechanisms and existing renewable capacity, whereas Africa emphasizes social justice, energy access for 600 million people, and the legacies of colonialism. The brief calls for a full phase-out of fossil fuels by 2040, grant-based climate finance, and safeguards for the extraction of transition minerals.

• A Just Energy Transition for the Global South requires a complete phase-out of all fossil fuels by 2040, including a total cessation of new fossil fuel infrastructure expansion.
• In the LAC region, fossil fuels accounted for 38.7% of electricity generation in 2022, and several countries maintain high fiscal dependence on extractive revenues, with Venezuela at 32.2%, Bolivia at 26.3%, Mexico at 20.7%, and Ecuador at 18.9% as of 2015.
• Africa faces severe energy poverty, with 600 million people lacking electricity access, primarily in sub-Saharan Africa. Despite this, there is a renewed interest in African gas due to Europe's need to diversify away from Russian oil and gas following the war in Ukraine.
• The Global South possesses critical reserves of transition minerals—including lithium, copper, nickel, and rare earths—but requires safeguards such as socio-environmental impact assessments and the redistribution of benefits to local communities to avoid repeating historical extractive damages.
• Climate finance for the Global South must be provided as grants rather than loans to avoid increasing the debt burden of developing nations, and funds from Just Energy Transition Partnerships (JETPs) should be new and additional.
• A decarbonization pathway in the LAC region has the potential to create a net total of 15 million jobs by 2030, consisting of 22.5 million jobs created and 7.5 million jobs lost.

APA

Restrepo, G. P., Mogollón, A. M., Sánchez, C. M., Castro, M. C. C., Hernández, V. V., Morales, A., Wemanya, A., & Ally, S. (2023). GLOBAL SOUTH VOICES TO COP28. Transforma. https://transforma.global/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/VIS-Policy-brief-EN.pdf

Chicago

Restrepo, Giovanni Pabón, Ana María Mogollón, Carolina Martínez Sánchez, María Camila Cruz Castro, Verónica Valencia Hernández, Andrés Morales, Amos Wemanya, and Samira Ally. GLOBAL SOUTH VOICES TO COP28. Transforma, 2023. https://transforma.global/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/VIS-Policy-brief-EN.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Restrepo |first1=Giovanni Pabón |last2=Mogollón |first2=Ana María |last3=Sánchez |first3=Carolina Martínez |last4=Castro |first4=María Camila Cruz |last5=Hernández |first5=Verónica Valencia |last6=Morales |first6=Andrés |last7=Wemanya |first7=Amos |last8=Ally |first8=Samira |title=GLOBAL SOUTH VOICES TO COP28 |publisher=Transforma |date=June 2023 |url=https://transforma.global/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/VIS-Policy-brief-EN.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{restrepo2023global, author = {Restrepo, Giovanni Pabón and Mogollón, Ana María and Sánchez, Carolina Martínez and Castro, María Camila Cruz and Hernández, Verónica Valencia and Morales, Andrés and Wemanya, Amos and Ally, Samira}, title = {{GLOBAL SOUTH VOICES TO COP28}}, institution = {Transforma}, year = {2023}, month = jun, url = {https://transforma.global/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/VIS-Policy-brief-EN.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }