IN A STRONGLY-WORDED joint declaration, the leading trade union bodies of Africa and Latin America have presented a unified vision for a fair and equitable global climate transition, challenging the international community to address historical inequalities and ensure that the process leaves no one behind.
The statement, issued by the African Regional Organisation of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC-Africa) and the Trade Union Confederation of the Americas (TUCA), positions the two regions not as victims, but as essential agents of change.
The declaration, jointly signed by the General Secretaries, Joel Odigie of ITUC-Africa and Rafael Freire of TUCA, stressed that their vast natural resources, biodiversity, and cultural heritage are critical to a sustainable future, and their development needs must be central to the climate agenda.
The declaration outlines a set of non-negotiable principles for a “just transition,” arguing that the shift to a low-carbon economy must not replicate the injustices of the current global economic system.
Central to their demands is a call for energy justice and the right to development. The unions assert their regions’ sovereign right to utilize their natural resources, including natural gas, to address energy poverty and fuel economic growth, provided it is supported by technology and investment to minimize emissions.
The unions delivered a sharp critique of the current global financial architecture, describing existing climate finance pledges as insufficient and inaccessible.
They demanded a fundamental reform, calling for a dramatic increase in grants-based finance, simplified access to funds, and decisive debt justice.
Proposed mechanisms include debt-for-climate swaps and new long-term lending instruments, with the firm stipulation that these cannot deepen dependency.
The declaration also calls for genuine technology transfer and capacity building, arguing that a transition reliant on imported technology is unsustainable and demands frameworks for the accessible transfer of “green technologies” and investment in local research and manufacturing.
This, they state, is essential to move from being exporters of raw materials to creators of value and decent work.
The declaration equally noted the vital role of biodiversity and indigenous knowledge. It calls for the formal integration of ancestral knowledge into climate solutions and for guaranteeing land tenure rights for local communities.
The unions warn against “green colonialism,” where conservation efforts and nature-based solutions fail to provide direct and equitable benefits to those who have protected these ecosystems for generations.
Recognising the disruption the transition will cause, the unions committed to inclusion and social protection, also called for robust social dialogue involving workers, women, youth, and indigenous groups, alongside active policies for education and upskilling to create new decent work in green and blue economies. Strengthened social safety nets were deemed essential to ensure no one is left behind.
The alliance between ITUC-Africa and TUCA aims to strengthen the voice of the Global South in international fora. The unions see COP30 held in Brazil, as a pivotal opportunity to advance this common vision.
They affirmed that while Africa and Latin America are poised to be pillars of a new sustainable economy, they “cannot and will not bear a disproportionate burden for a crisis we did not create.”
They called for a collective effort to build a transition that leads to a “fairer, more equitable, and more prosperous world for all.”
