AFSA is set to open its Continental Convening on Strengthening African Civil Society Climate Action on Food Systems and Agriculture Towards COP31 and COP32, bringing farmers, pastoralists, government officials and policymakers from across the continent together in Addis Ababa
ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA — September 7, 2026 — The Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA), the continent’s largest civil society movement working on food systems, food sovereignty and agroecology, is set to open today its Continental Convening on Strengthening African Civil Society Climate Action on Food Systems and Agriculture Towards COP31 and COP32. Organised by AFSA in collaboration with the Ethiopian Ministry of Planning and Development, the three-day gathering runs from September 7 to 9, 2026, at the Inter Luxury Hotel in Addis Ababa, and is shaping up to be one of the continent’s most significant climate convenings this year, bringing together farmers, pastoralists, fisherfolk, indigenous communities, youth and women’s networks, researchers, negotiators, government officials and policymakers from across Africa.
Government officials and policymakers are integral participants in the Convening, not merely guests at its opening. The programme’s official opening features H.E. Dr. Fitsum Assefa, Ethiopia’s Minister for Planning and Development, delivering the official opening address, alongside remarks from H.E. Demeke Mekonnen, Nutrition Ambassador and former Deputy Prime Minister of Ethiopia. A keynote address will be delivered by Dr. Antwi-Boasiako Amoah, Chair of the African Group of Negotiators (AGN). Government representatives continue to participate alongside civil society throughout the three days, including a dedicated Day Two panel with government representatives on national priorities for COP31 and COP32.
Addis Ababa carries particular weight for this gathering: the city is set to host COP32, bringing the United Nations Climate Change Conference back to African soil once again. This Convening marks the formal start of AFSA’s process to build a unified African position, bringing civil society and government together, ahead of COP31 and laying the groundwork for COP32, developed by the communities already living the climate crisis and advancing the solutions.
Over three days, delegates, government representatives and policymakers will address the issues shaping Africa’s climate future together: adaptation and the Global Goal on Adaptation, climate finance, a Just Transition for the continent, and agriculture’s place within the UNFCCC process. Agroecology will sit at the center of the discussions, reflecting a decade of evidence from across Africa that farmer-led, ecologically grounded food systems are not a fallback option but a credible pathway to cooling the planet, restoring degraded land, and feeding communities with dignity. The Convening builds on AFSA’s Agroecology4Climate Action campaign, running continentally since 2019 under AFSA’s Climate Change and Agroecology Working Group.
“For too long, Africa’s response to the climate crisis has been shaped far from the communities who live it every day. This Convening is Africa defining its own terms of engagement, grounded in the knowledge of the farmers, pastoralists and indigenous communities who are already building the solutions. Agroecology is not a fallback; it is Africa’s most credible pathway to a just and livable future, and it will be at the center of what we carry from Addis Ababa to COP32.”
— Dr. Million Belay, AFSA General Coordinator
“Africa cannot afford another climate process where our voices arrive only after the decisions have been made. Over these three days, we are building a unified continental position, rooted in agroecology and in the lived realities of the people who feed this continent, so that our negotiators walk into COP 31 AND COP32 carrying the mandate of Africa’s own communities.”
— Karen Nekesa, AFSA Climate Change and Agroecology Working Group Chair
The Convening will close with a unified African civil society position and a coordinated roadmap toward COP32. AFSA is inviting media, partners and the public to follow proceedings live across its Social Media Channelschannels on LinkedIn, X, Facebook and YouTube, and to join the conversation using #Agroecology4Climate, #AfricaClimateConvening, #COP31 and #COP32.
About AFSA
The Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA) is the largest civil society organisation network on the continent, representing major social movements working on food sovereignty, agroecology and climate justice across Africa. AFSA advocates for agroecology as a viable pathway for climate adaptation, mitigation and a just climate transition for the continent.
Media Contact
Kirubel Tadele, Communications Coordinator, AFSA
kirubel.tadele@afsafrica.org
