BONN, Germany, June 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Today, youth delegates representing the HBCU Green Fund’s Sustainable Africa Network took the global stage at the United Nations Climate Conference in Bonn with a powerful message: climate justice must center African and African-descended communities across the Diaspora—not just in word, but in action, policy, and investment.
HBCU Green Fund’s Africa Network elevates global demands at UN Climate Talks in Bonn, advancing the movement toward COP30 in Brazil. Pictured (L-R): Dr. Frances Roberts-Gregory (USA), HBCU Green Fund Board, Hussein Kassim, Ghana; Patience Nabukalu, Uganda; Saustine Lusanzu, Tanzania; Dr. Isatis Cintron-Rodriguez, Puerto Rico
Under the theme “One Struggle, One Future,” this press conference marks a critical milestone in the #Road2Belem campaign, launched on Earth Day 2025 by the HBCU Green Fund’s Sustainable Africa Future Network. Youth leaders from 16 African countries and across the African Diaspora are advancing a bold, unified agenda rooted in self-determination, historical accountability, and transnational solidarity.
As part of this global effort, the youth are developing an African Youth Climate Justice Statement and will deliver their demands directly to the world’s climate decision-makers at COP30 in Belém, Brazil.
To carry this effort forward, the HBCU Green Fund and its partners are organizing a series of virtual roundtables, strategy sessions, and digital campaigns in the months leading up to COP30. Network members will attend the Africa Climate Summit and African Youth Climate Assembly in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in August. They will also meet with youth attending the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance Nairobi Summer School also in Ethiopia this year. These engagements will broaden participation, build collective power, and ensure that the final statement reflects the lived experiences and visionary solutions of youth across Africa and the Diaspora.
Delegates representing the HBCU Green Fund at the Bonn press conference include:
Hussein Kassim (Ghana) – Executive Director, Centre for Climate and Sustainability Empowerment
Dr. Frances Roberts-Gregory (USA), Board Member, HBCU Green Fund
Saustine Lusanzu (Tanzania), Founder and Director, Earthcare Foundation
Dr. Isatis Cintron-Rodriguez (Puerto Rico), Director, ACE Observatory
Patience Nabukalu (Uganda), Climate Activist, Fridays for Future Uganda
Together, they elevate the core demands developed through months of consultations and movement-building:
Climate reparations and cancellation of climate-related debt
Direct, equitable access to climate finance for youth-led and community-rooted solutions
Formal recognition and permanent representation of African descendant communities in UN climate processes
Institutional support for climate education, organizing, and cultural exchange across the Diaspora—including Africans, Afro Caribbeans, African Americans, and beyond
“We are not here just to observe—we are here to lead,” says Lusanzu. “The solutions already exist in our communities. What we need is direct support, not trickle-down aid.”
This push comes amid growing frustration that global climate finance is still failing to reach the people most affected by the crisis. While COP29 established a Loss and Damage fund, youth leaders argue that implementation without accountability will only reinforce existing inequalities.
“The youth will not accept token gestures,” comments Dr. Roberts-Gregory. “African and African Diaspora youth are building an international coalition to hold governments accountable for delivering real resources and respecting youth leadership.”
Dr. Cintron-Rodriguez adds, “By blending academic insight with grassroots resilience, our approach charts a clear path toward inclusive, transformative climate action. We must center the voices of those most impacted—not only to be heard, but to shape the solutions.”
The delegation’s presence in Bonn continues a broader campaign to reframe the climate narrative and shift power to frontline communities.
“Africa does not need charity — we need climate justice. As African youth and women, we are demanding a real just transition, not broken promises,” said Nabukalu. “The world must deliver — real finance, real solutions, real justice — now.”
“This is more than a statement—it’s a global movement,” Kassim exclaims. “We’re building a legacy of intergenerational climate justice leadership. Our shared history and struggles across the Diaspora give us the power to imagine and build a future rooted in justice, resilience, and cultural sovereignty.”
To join or support the campaign, visit www.hbcugreenfund.org or follow @hbcugreenfund and #Road2Belem on all platforms.
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.
Contact: Edrea Davis, Jazzmyne PR
Phone/Text/Email: 818.613.9521
[email protected]
SOURCE HBCU Green Fund
