Unlocking Africa’s Resilience: Putting People, Finance and Justice First

Community promoting Analog forestry practice in Kikandwa (Mityana district, Uganda).
Photo: Kikandwa Environment Association

At dawn in northern Mozambique, fisherman Joaquim Langa pushes his canoe into waters that no longer behave the way his father once knew. “The sea is angrier now,” he says, recalling how cyclones in recent years have erased mangroves that once shielded the coastline (UNEP, 2023). Each season brings higher tides, unpredictable storms, and shrinking fish stocks. 

Joaquim’s story mirrors that of millions across Africa living at the frontline of climate disruption—where adaptation is no longer optional, but a daily necessity.

For Africa, the forthcoming seventh UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-7) at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, from 8 to 12 December 2025, comes at a defining moment: How can it advance sustainable solutions while navigating mounting debt, persistent climate shocks and urgent socio-economic demands?

UNEA-7 will take place under the theme "Advancing sustainable solutions for a resilient planet” .

A triple crisis squeezing development choices

The IPCC Sixth Assessment Report notes that Africa is warming faster than the global average, with climate shocks eroding up to 15% of GDP annually in some regions. Yet many countries spend more on debt servicing than on health or climate resilience (AfDB, 2022). With growing populations demanding energy, jobs and basic services, governments are forced into impossible trade-offs.

At the same time, across the continent, people are demonstrating what resilience looks like in practice.

People-led solutions pointing the way

In Ethiopia’s Tigray region, community-led terracing has helped restore degraded hillsides and revive food production (UNCCD, 2021). In Benin, women-run solar cold-storage hubs reduce food loss and emissions (IRENA, 2023). South African youth cooperatives are turning waste into value, strengthening a circular economy model central to the African Green Stimulus Programme.

These local solutions prove that sustainability is not an abstract aspiration—it is a practical pathway to improved livelihoods.

Finance reforms will determine Africa’s trajectory

Africa receives less than 12% of the adaptation finance it needs (UNECA, 2022). To scale people-centred solutions, UNEA-7 must stand in support of accelerating fiscal reforms consistent with the Bridgetown Initiative (a proposal to reform the world of development finance, particularly how rich countries help poor countries cope with and adapt to climate change), including:

• State-contingent debt instruments, such as hurricane and climate-disaster clauses, which pause payments after shocks, have already been tested in Caribbean nations.
• Climate resilience bonds supported by Multilateral Development Bank guarantees, lowering borrowing costs for adaptation infrastructure.
• Reallocation of Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) through African institutions like AfDB to expand concessional finance.
• Domestic reforms—phasing out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies, adopting fair carbon pricing, and incentivising circular industries—implemented with social safeguards.

These instruments can unlock the fiscal space needed to prioritise adaptation, ecosystem restoration, clean energy and social protection.

Sustainability must advance, not compete with, development

Africa’s environmental and development agendas are inseparable. Clean energy expands economic opportunity; nature-based solutions protect coastlines and livelihoods; circular economy models create jobs; and climate-smart agriculture stabilises food systems. These pathways align with the AU Climate Change and Resilient Development Strategy (2022–2032), which places people at the centre of resilience.

A message to UNEA-7

As Joaquim prepares for another uncertain day at sea, he offers a quiet hope shared by many across the continent: “We just want to live with the sea, not fight it.” Africa has the innovation, the knowledge and the will to build a resilient planet. What it needs is fair financing, strategic reforms, and global partnerships that match its ambition.

For Africa, UNEA-7 is a moment to lead—and the world’s moment to act.

Everyday Peacebuilders: How Volunteers Strengthen ‘Small P’ Peace in Africa Amid Geopolitical Tensions and the Triple Planetary Crisis

Source: www.gkseries.com

At the edge of the River Nile in South Sudan, 19-year-old volunteer Joseph arrives at a community meeting shaded by an acacia tree. The rains have failed again, grazing lands are shrinking, and whispers of tension between farmers and pastoralists drift through the village. Yet the people still gather—because Joseph, a familiar face, has been trained to facilitate dialogue before disagreements harden into conflict.

In a world shaped by geopolitical volatility, rising resource pressures, and the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution, volunteers like Joseph are quietly doing some of the most important peace work on the continent. Their actions do not always make headlines, but they build what peace practitioners call ‘small P’ peace—the everyday relationships, trust, and social cohesion that keep communities functioning even in times of stress.

International Volunteer Day (IVD), which is due on December 5, 2025, is a global observance established by the UN General Assembly in 1985 to celebrate the power of volunteerism. What began as a UN General Assembly mandate in 1985 has grown into a global movement. IVD is a day to celebrate volunteers everywhere and to champion the spirit of volunteerism—locally, nationally, and globally.

Peace Responsiveness at the Heart of Volunteerism

Peace responsiveness means recognising how environmental, social, and economic stressors can escalate tensions—and designing interventions that reduce the risk of conflict rather than unintentionally worsening it. Volunteers are uniquely positioned to support this because they understand the subtleties of their communities: who talks to whom, where tension is brewing, and what local histories shape cooperation.

They often serve as early connectors—spotting small disputes before they escalate into major ones. This could involve noticing conflicts between water-user groups during droughts, mediating disputes over firewood collection, or facilitating conversations between youth and local authorities when frustrations arise.

How Volunteers Strengthen “Small P” Peace

1. Building Social Bridges
Volunteers help knit communities together through inclusive activities—tree planting, sports for peace, women’s savings groups, and youth innovation hubs. These gatherings foster relationships that act as buffers against tension when climate shocks or economic stress hit.

2. Conveying Trusted, Localised Information
Geopolitical tensions often fuel misinformation, especially online. Volunteers provide verified information about relief distribution, climate risks, or local government decisions—reducing rumours that could spark conflict.

3. Supporting Local Mediation and Dialogue
Trained volunteers can facilitate dialogue circles, listening sessions, and community forums where people express fears, negotiate solutions, and rebuild trust. Their impartiality often makes them more effective than external actors.

4. Strengthening Resilience to Climate and Environmental Shocks
Because climate impacts can heighten competition over land, water, or forests, volunteers who support conservation, sustainable resource use, and early warning systems help reduce triggers of conflict. Restoring wetlands, maintaining water points, or mapping flood-prone areas all contribute to peace.

5. Amplifying Marginalised Voices
Volunteers often serve as advocates for women, youth, persons with disabilities, and displaced people—helping ensure they are included in local planning, which strengthens fairness and reduces grievances.

Opportunities for Volunteers in a Changing Landscape

• Peace-responsive training is expanding across NGOs and community networks.
• Digital platforms now allow volunteers to map risks and share alerts quickly.
• Climate action projects offer roles that also strengthen peace, from restoring degraded land to supporting early warning systems.
• Youth peace networks are creating pathways for leadership and regional collaboration.

A Future Held Together by Everyday Peacebuilders

Amid geopolitical tensions and a planet in crisis, Africa’s volunteers remain the backbone of community resilience. They may not negotiate high-level peace agreements, but their “small P” actions—listening, convening, mediating, informing—are what keep societies whole.

In countless villages, markets, and settlements, volunteers are proving that peace is not only something signed in conference rooms; it is something practised every day, by ordinary people committed to extraordinary service.