{"id":61724,"date":"2026-10-05T14:13:18","date_gmt":"2026-10-05T14:13:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/africa\/?p=61724"},"modified":"2026-10-05T14:15:22","modified_gmt":"2026-10-05T14:15:22","slug":"beyond-being-invited-africas-geopolitical-moment-at-unga-81","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/africa\/en\/blog\/61724\/beyond-being-invited-africas-geopolitical-moment-at-unga-81\/","title":{"rendered":"Beyond being invited: Africa\u2019s geopolitical moment at UNGA 81"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) marked a subtle yet profound shift in how African leaders and advocates engage on the world stage. Rather than acting as mere invitees and passive participants. From discussions on reforming the international financial architecture and leveraging critical transition minerals, to advancing climate justice and reforming the United Nations, this UNGA session clearly connected the myriad of issues affecting Africa. Leaders and participants from the continent were at the forefront of these critical conversations and engagements.<\/p>\n\n

Geopolitics, multilateralism and global cooperation continue to face significant challenges. Frankly, world leaders missed an opportunity during the 2026 UNGA session to take a decisive stance and deliver the strong economic, political and social solutions the world so sorely needs. For Africa, it remains clear that the continent is caught between an expanding spectrum of competing global priorities, and it is under no illusion that its priorities match those of other nations. Africa must, therefore, enter global arenas with the  firm conviction that it can actively shape and co-create agendas and solutions the world requires.<\/p>\n\n

Lessons from “Unstoppable Africa”<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

Two days before the official opening of the UNGA high-level week, the energy in New York was set at the Unstoppable Africa<\/em> forum. Bringing together African business leaders, civil society organizations, diplomats, senior UN officials, development practitioners, and the diaspora community living in the U.S. The room served as a concentration of intellectual rigor and strategic ambition. The overarching takeaway was unambiguous: Africa\u2019s present and future lie squarely in its own hands.<\/p>\n\n

For too long, continental priorities have been subordinated to the shifting political agendas of global powers. Moving forward, Africa must enter multilateral arenas with absolute clarity of vision, arriving not to ask for space, but to co-create and shape the global agendas that affect its people.<\/p>\n\n

The critical minerals dilemma<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

The global energy transition has placed Africa at the center of international trade and industrial strategy. The world urgently requires African critical and transition minerals\u2014lithium, cobalt, manganese, and nickel, to power green economies and drive industrial decarbonization. However, the historical model of extraction must end. Africa cannot remain an exporter of raw materials while foreign nations capture the industrial value.<\/p>\n\n

Building domestic industries around critical minerals will allow Africa to build its own internal markets. However, this will only be achievable if Africa actively eliminates intra-continental trade barriers, enables the free movement of labor, capital, goods, and services, harmonizes standards, secures affordable finance, and develops fully integrated markets to enable the transition. Therefore, Africa’s critical minerals are key to its industrial needs especially on Just transition to low carbon renewables, as opposed to being mined as raw materials for developed countries. <\/p>\n\n

Just Transition<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

A notable shift at UNGA was how rapidly the global dialogue is moving from basic decarbonization to a broader framework of a just transition. Yet, this shift is occurring while Africa is not moving at the speed required to keep pace with the rest of the world. Global economic opportunities continue to shrink even as international markets demand African resources. Consequently, Africa must build strong national and regional value chains if it wants to remain competitive in an increasingly fierce global landscape.<\/p>\n\n

Climate finance<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

When it comes to climate action, Africa\u2019s message at UNGA was direct: the era of unfulfilled pledges must end. Africa requires predictable and accessible capital to meet its escalating adaptation needs, fund just transition strategies, and invest in low-carbon infrastructure. Climate impacts do not pause while negotiators debate at UNFCCC summits or diplomatic side events. Frontline communities are facing real-time devastation while the fossil fuel industry continues to post record profits year after year.<\/p>\n\n

The Road Ahead<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

We know Africa possesses both the strategic leverage and the leadership required to influence global policy. The task now should be translating diplomatic engagement into domestic execution and unified continental bargaining. The UNGA demands from African heads of states and business leaders on the importance of nurturing global cooperation, is a testament to Africa\u2019s push for an environment that captures the aspirations of its people. The continent is yearning for change in the global landscape, and they want to be at the table of where the decisions are being crafted.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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