HBCU Green Fund Launches Bold Earth Day Initiative: Road to Belém -- One Struggle, One Future

WASHINGTON, April 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- On Earth Day 2025, the HBCU Green Fund's Sustainable Africa Future Network convened a powerful virtual gathering of youth leaders from 16 African countries and across the African Diaspora. United under the banner "Road to Belém: One Struggle, One Future (#Road2Belem)," the youth launched a bold Call to Action and announced the launch of a workplan to develop a collective African Youth Climate Justice Statement to present at COP 30 in Belém this November.

"As we head toward COP 30 in Belém, African and African Diaspora youth are building a common platform that demands climate equity, economic transformation, and environmental sovereignty," said Illai Kenney, Managing Director of the HBCU Green Fund.

To carry this effort forward, the HBCU Green Fund's Sustainable Africa Future Network and its partners have committed to hosting a series of virtual roundtables, strategy meetings, and creative campaigns between Earth Day and COP 30 to refine the platform and amplify youth voices on the global stage.

Grounded in urgency, equity, and solidarity, this collaborative effort will reflect the priorities, lived experiences, and leadership of African and African Diaspora youth. The final statement, to be presented at COP 30, will serve as a rallying call for justice, inclusion, and meaningful action in global climate negotiations.

"We are issuing an urgent call to organizations, activists, and key actors around the world to sign on and support this vital declaration," said Vanessa Ngunjiri, Udgoon Sustainable Development Initiative in Kenya. "To join the movement, email [email protected]."

The urgency of this year's initiative is heightened by the outcomes of COP 29, where international negotiators made significant progress in formalizing Loss and Damage financing mechanisms—a hard-won victory for climate-vulnerable nations. Youth leaders are now pushing to ensure these commitments translate into direct resources for grassroots and youth-led solutions across Africa and the Diaspora.

"A 2024 UNEP report found that 88% of global loss and damage from climate change impacts Africa, yet only 2% of global climate finance reaches the continent," said Denise Ayebare, founder of Better Life International in Uganda.

"We contribute the least to global greenhouse gas emissions but suffer the most severe consequences of climate change," said Lucky Abeng, founder of the EcoSteward Humanitarian Foundation in Nigeria. "This injustice is a driving force behind our demands for loss and damage funding, debt cancellation, and direct investment in African-led solutions."

Core Demands in the African Youth Climate Justice Statement:

• Climate Finance Justice: Immediate fulfillment and expansion of Loss and Damage commitments, cancellation of climate-related debt, and direct funding to grassroots youth initiatives.
• Centering Africa in Climate Negotiations: Ending neocolonial carbon offset schemes, ensuring equitable representation, and protecting Indigenous lands and forests through local governance and stewardship.
• Just Transition and Green Jobs: Investment in youth-led renewable energy, agroecology, and sustainable industries, with clear pathways for training and employment.
• Climate Education and Cultural Sovereignty: Mandating African-rooted climate curricula and supporting youth-led storytelling, arts, and cultural healing.
• Pan-African Solidarity and Diaspora Collaboration: Strengthening transnational ties between African and African American youth to confront environmental racism and economic exploitation, with shared advocacy at COP and beyond.

"This initiative represents more than a statement—it's a movement. We're building the infrastructure for sustained youth leadership in climate justice across the African continent and Diaspora," said Saustine Lusanzu, Earthcare Foundation in Tanzania.

This Earth Day convening continues the HBCU Green Fund's long-standing commitment to youth climate leadership. For more than a decade, the organization has sponsored and prepared youth delegates from countries across Africa to participate in annual UN climate conferences. Its annual pre-COP programming equips the next generation of environmental justice advocates with the tools to influence international policy and push for systemic change.

The HBCU Green Fund invites all youth-focused organizations, climate activists, and institutions to support this growing movement for climate justice and sign on to the statement. Those interested in collaborating or learning more may contact [email protected] or @hbcugreenfund #Road2Belem on social media.

ABOUT THE HBCU GREEN FUND

Based in Georgia, with offices in Washington, D.C. and Senegal, the HBCU Green Fund was founded by climate leader Felicia Davis and has been at the forefront of climate action, sustainability, and environmental justice for more than a decade. What began as a mission to support Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) has expanded into a global effort to empower Black communities in building a greener, more resilient future. The HBCU Green Fund's Sustainable Africa Future Network, headquartered in Dakar, Senegal, and led by Cheikhou Thiome, is a transnational collective of individuals and organizations working to support environmentally sustainable projects across Africa and the African Diaspora.

Network Leaders:

Burkina Faso – Lanssina To
Burundi – Auguste-Aubin Kezingabo
Cabo Verde – Hidilberto Dias Periera
Cameroon – Paul Lodry Dongmo
Ghana – Hussein Kassim
Guinea-Bissau – Algassimo Ba
Kenya – Sharon Gakii
Kenya – Elvis Wambura
Kenya – Johnson Ong'any
Kenya – Vanessa Ngunjiri
Liberia – Abubakar Kromah
Nigeria – Lucky Abeng
Nigeria – Princess Ewa
Rwanda – Prosper Habayo
Senegal – Cheikhou Thiome
Sierra Leone – Bashiru Koroma
Tanzania – Saustine Lusanzu
The Gambia – Alfusainey Gano
Togo – Elvis Agbayizato
Uganda – Destin Sempijja
Uganda – Kwerit Sarah Chebijira
Uganda – Mathias Nyanzi
Uganda – Denise Ayebare
Zambia – Precious Kalombwana
Zimbabwe – Tafadwa Malaika Kurotwi

CONTACT: Edrea Davis
Email/Text: [email protected]/818.613.9521

SOURCE HBCU Green Fund