Centering Human Rights, Justice and Equity in Energy Transition and Climate Policies in Africa

Background 

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The International Energy Agency estimates that demand for the critical energy transition minerals required to enable this global energy transition will triple by 2030, and quadruple by 2040.[1] Plans to decarbonize energy and transport systems will require substantial amounts of raw materials, whose extraction and processing can be carbon intensive, environmentally destructive and socially damaging. The African Green Minerals Strategy  and the the UN Secretary General Critical Energy Transition Minerals  Panel Report serve as critical frameworks towards ensuring that the race to net zero does not perpetuate socially and environmentally destructive modes of extraction and accumulation loaded with colonial legacies in Africa. They outline key principles that aim to ensure a just, equitable and people-centred energy transition, also as a fundamental form of remedy and reparations for communities historically marginalized by climate injustice.[2] This includes by upholding human rights, ensuring justice and equity, safeguarding environmental integrity, fostering benefit-sharing, and promoting responsible investment and trade. The session therefore provides an opportunity to build capacity of stakeholders on the complementarity of these frameworks and how they can be leveraged to develop socially just and inclusive value chains and influence energy and climate policy development in Africa.

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Key Objectives

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• Raise awareness of emerging international and regional frameworks, legal and policy developments aimed at enforcing accountability for human rights violations along mineral value chains at the state and corporate level.

• Amplify African regional perspectives, especially from civil society, governments, and development actors, on embedding human rights, accountability, and community empowerment in responsible and sustainable CETM value chains.

• Identify and outline initial pathways for integrating human rights, equity and intergenerational justice into emerging national, regional, and global frameworks for critical mineral governance.

• Promote an exchange of knowledge and information among NHRIs, CSOs, experts and other relevant actors.

 

Guiding Questions

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• What is the value of recent international and regional frameworks and legal developments, and how can they be operationalized to ensure a just and rights-based energy transition in Africa?

• What does justice and equity mean to different African stakeholders (governments, companies, CSOs, NHRIs, local communities, etc.) in the context of the just transition in Africa?How can these perspectives be better amplified in global debates and platforms?

• How can governments, civil society, NHRIs, and the private sector collaborate to advance rights respecting mineral governance in Africa and ensure inclusive, responsible and sustainable CETM value chains? 

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Background to the Discussion

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The governance of critical energy transition minerals (CETMs) is emerging as a central fault line in global energy politics, with the G7 and G20 adopting divergent approaches. The G7’s Critical Minerals Action Plan, launched in June 2025, prioritizes securing clean energy supply chains by diversifying sources, scaling up investment, and fostering innovation in processing and recycling. Its emphasis lies on building transparent, standards-compliant markets, largely shaped by Western-led financing and trade mechanisms. In contrast, South Africa’s 2025 G20 presidency has reframed CETMs through the lens of just energy transitions, foregrounding inclusivity, social equity, and domestic capacity building. This approach highlights the importance of integrating local communities, Indigenous rights, and environmental sustainability into mineral value chains. These differing priorities raise questions about whether the global mineral regime will deepen extractive asymmetries, reinforce geopolitical rivalries, or provide opportunities for producing nations to reposition themselves as both suppliers and value-added beneficiaries of the energy transition.

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In parallel, international human rights frameworks seek to ensure that mineral governance remains people-centered and equitable. The UN Secretary General’s Principles to Guide CETMs Towards Equity and Justice underscore human rights as the foundation of all mineral value chains, emphasizing land rights, Indigenous rights, decent work, and a clean and sustainable environment. They stress due diligence, risk assessments, and protections for civic participation, access to justice, and environmental human rights defenders. These global standards align closely with Africa’s African Green Minerals Strategy (AGMS) and related human rights instruments, including the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, regional studies on children’s rights and climate, and Resolution 633 of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights. Together, these frameworks aim to balance industrial demand for minerals with the protection of rights and well-being of local communities, ensuring that Africa’s mineral wealth contributes not only to the energy transition but also to social and environmental justice.

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Additional background documents

UNGPs
African Green Minerals Strategy
UN Secretary General Critical Energy Transition Minerals  Panel Report
G7 Critical Minerals Action Plan
RESOURCING THE ENERGY TRANSITION
African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights
European Critical Raw Materials Act
Study on Children's Rights and Business in Africa
Continental Study On Climate Change and Children Rights in Africa
Resolution on Developing General Comment on the Protection and Promotion of the Right to environment in Africa - ACHPR/Res.633 (LXXXIII) 2025
ICJ Advisory Opinion on Obligations of States in respect of Climate Change