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PACJA unveils new strategy to deepen Africa’s climate justice leadership – EnviroNews
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The Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) has unveiled its new Strategic Plan for 2026–2030, designed to strengthen African leadership on climate justice and accelerate people-centred climate action across the continent and beyond.
The plan was launched on Thursday, September 10, 2026, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on the sidelines of the 14th Conference on Climate Change and Development in Africa (CCDA-XIV).
The launch brought together PACJA’s Designated National Platforms, partners, allies and other stakeholders involved in advancing climate justice and sustainable development in Africa.
According to PACJA, the new plan is not a replacement for its existing 2021–2030 Strategic Framework, but a refinement of implementation approaches aimed at ensuring that the final five years of the framework respond effectively to a rapidly changing global environment.
The Alliance said the review had become necessary in view of significant geopolitical and geostrategic shifts, shrinking civic space, uncertainty in development financing and emerging opportunities for climate justice advocacy.
The strategy was developed through extensive consultations involving the PACJA Secretariat, Designated National Platforms, partners and allies.
Speaking at the launch, PACJA Executive Director, Dr Mithika Mwenda, expressed appreciation to stakeholders who contributed to the implementation of the Alliance’s 2021–2025 Strategic Plan.
Mwenda said PACJA, working with its partners, national platforms and allies, had challenged climate narratives that misrepresented Africa’s realities and interests.
He stressed the importance of maintaining a strong African voice in global climate governance as the continent navigates a changing geopolitical landscape.
The new strategic plan retains PACJA’s five existing Strategic Objectives while recalibrating its areas of focus to respond to emerging challenges and opportunities.
Among the factors shaping the revised implementation approach are changing geopolitical alignments, threats to climate justice narratives embedded in multilateral agreements, shrinking civic space and increasing volatility in donor support.
PACJA also identified critical minerals, digital advocacy and South-South solidarity as emerging opportunities that could strengthen its climate justice advocacy and movement-building efforts.
The Alliance said lessons from the implementation of its previous strategy, as well as experience gained through various initiatives, had informed the new approach to improve programme effectiveness and operational efficiency.
It further noted significant growth in mobilisation and movement building, including increased leadership and participation by women, young people, Indigenous peoples and marginalised communities in shaping the climate justice discourse.
PACJA said these developments would remain central to its efforts to build a stronger and more inclusive climate justice movement across Africa.
The Alliance reaffirmed that its vision, mission, values and principles remain unchanged, describing them as the operational compass guiding its programme design, partnerships, advocacy positions and internal governance.
Its vision is of an Africa where climate justice is realised through equitable, ecologically sound and community-led actions.
Its mission is to unite, amplify and empower African civil society to influence climate and environmental governance for just and inclusive outcomes.
PACJA said the vision reflects its commitment to ensuring that climate solutions are not imposed on communities, but are co-created, owned and led by people most affected by climate change.
The mission, meanwhile, reinforces the Alliance’s role as a convenor, amplifier and enabler of Africa’s diverse civil society ecosystem.
The 2026–2030 Strategic Plan therefore positions PACJA to consolidate the gains of its first decade while adapting its advocacy, movement building and partnerships to a more multipolar and increasingly complex global environment.
The Alliance said the ultimate objective is to ensure that Africa’s climate justice movement remains influential, resilient and capable of advancing people-centred and equitable climate action at national, continental and global levels.
