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By Mercy Mbevi
The African Coalition of Communities Responsive to Climate Change (ACCRCC) has cemented its position as a leading advocate for grassroots climate justice at the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
At COP30, ACCRCC successfully pushed for the recognition of pastoralist governance systems, particularly the “mom” dialogue mechanism used across the Kenya-Uganda border and other parts of eastern Africa. This traditional governance model, representing more than 50 million pastoralists, was highlighted as a vital climate adaptation and conflict management tool that aligns with the principles of global climate diplomacy. Belém, Brazil, 11 November 2025.
“Our communities are not just victims of climate change; they are innovators, custodians of knowledge, and rightful actors in shaping global climate policy,” said Henry Neondo, Policy Advocacy and Influencing Advisor at ACCRCC during the Mandated Dialogues on Community Inclusion.
Pastoralists across Africa face climate-related violence and inadequate climate policies that do not solve their challenges from Uganda to Djibouti.
Through active participation in the Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform (LCIPP) and collaboration with partners such as the European Union, ACCRCC helped shape discussions on Decision 14/CP.29, which reinforces the inclusion of local communities across all UNFCCC workstreams.
Geert Freema, representative of the European Union, to discuss local community engagement, emphasized the importance of respecting and promoting the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities in any working arrangements.
Freema stressed the need for transparent, inclusive, and constructive processes to enhance local community participation but noted concerns about conflating local communities with Indigenous peoples, urging recognition of the rights of both groups.
Participants pushed for the recognition of African pastoralist governance (“mom”) in adaptation dialogues, inclusion of grassroots leaders in the Facilitative Working Group (FWG) discussions, and advocacy for direct climate financing to local governance structures. In addition, they urged the elevation of local communities as rights and knowledge holders within global climate policy.
“Pastoralists do not need to be made resilient. They already practice resilience daily, relationally and collectively. Let the UNFCC send a new kind of message, one that travels both ways, from crowds to the COP and from the COP to the crowds, from observation to co-design, from policy for pastoralists to policy with pastoralists,” said Simon Longoli, a leader among the pastoral peoples of Uganda, linked to the Karamoja Herders.
COP 21, held in Paris, France in 2015, established the local communities and indigenous peoples’ platform (LCI, PP) for the exchange of experiences and sharing of best practices on mitigation and adaptation in a holistic and integrated manner.
This recognition has been reinforced in several subsequent COPs and CMA decisions. During Climate Week in Ethiopia, local community representatives shared powerful accounts where communities, particularly pastoralists, emphasized their reciprocity and shared stewardship, as long-standing practices sustaining livelihoods and ecosystems for generations, noting that local organizations and leaders are not merely project implementers, but drivers of transformation that strengthen food systems’ social inclusion and resilience through their knowledge mobility.
ACCRCC will continue building continental networks of local climate governance platforms, strengthening engagement with national adaptation planning, and advocating for direct access to climate finance that empowers communities on the front line.
“Climate justice begins with inclusion. Without grassroots voices, global climate solutions remain incomplete,” said Neondo.
