Faith Groups in Africa Convene ahead of COP30 to Foster Participation in Climate Summits

“Recognizing the vital moral and societal role of faith leaders and movements, this roundtable aims to elevate our powerful voice in shaping climate policy and fostering a just transition aligned with our shared faith values,” she said.

Organized ahead of the second African summit scheduled for September 8 to 10 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and COP30 scheduled for November 10 to 21 in Brazil, the event featured interfaith prayers and reflections and testimonies from frontlines across Africa.

The Nairobi convention also featured discussions on fossil fuel phase-out, climate finance, and climate adaptation, and also discussions on how to strengthen collaboration among faith-based climate actors.

“For a long time now, we have not been bringing forward our agendas. We really want to bring the agendas of the people moving forward,” she said, adding that the July 28 Nairobi convention was a product of listening, with climate movements and activists calling for joint effort in addressing climate injustice.

Advocacy on climate injustice, Ms. Kitisya said “is something that we want to continuously do and really create a platform where all faiths can all come together and engage in this mechanism.”

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In the July 28 interview with ACI Africa, the Kenyan Catholic environmentalist explained why faith leaders are essential in discussions on climate injustice at both continental and global levels.

“You cannot have conversations about Africa without having conversations with faith leaders because that is where most of the masses gather. That is their source of nourishment. That is their source of hope,” she said.

She noted that religious platforms, owing to the masses they lead, are the best places where dialogues on social issues can be done.

 “Faith leaders increasingly have an importance and they need to really step up. They are trying with different departments of environment, but they can step up in terms of speaking about and articulating these environmental issues,” Ms. Kitisya said.

She agreed that a lot still needs to be done in terms of creating spaces for religious communities to engage on social issues.

And acknowledging “some positive strides from the Catholic Church because of the various agencies that they have”, Ms. Kitisya challenged other faith communities to also create platforms where different faiths can come together, learn, and take the message back to the grassroots.

Silas Mwale Isenjia is a Kenyan journalist with a great zeal and interest for Catholic Church related communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communication from Moi University in Kenya. Silas has vast experience in the Media production industry. He currently works as a Journalist for ACI Africa.