CELEBRATING A DECADE OF AGENDA 2063: EMPOWERING ISOLATED COMMUNITIES AND YOUNG LEADERS

The African Union’s Agenda 2063, as Africa’s blueprint for transforming Africa into a global powerhouse of the future, embodies a robust roadmap for realizing Africa’s vision of sustainability. Launched in 2013, this bold initiative spans 50 years to 2063, symbolizing a deep commitment to a prosperous future for the continent. By taking a long-term perspective, Agenda 2063 offers a coherent and inspiring vision for present and future generations;.

Agenda 2063 not only summarizes Africa’s sustainable development goals, but also identifies flagship programs, including the AFCFTA. The Afcfta contributes to forging a collective African identity in the economic sphere It represents a significant paradigm shift towards a continental vision of sustainability The image of the institutional spaceship of the ACFTA as a means of breaking free from Westphalian pull is both poetic and significant.

“Most of the summit in Africa are held for those who are already successful in their careers, but none targets young people.  The Sustainability Summit for Africa wants to fill the gap, giving africa youth a stage to make their own voices heard and maximize their energy and talent,

2063 is an Summit  for young people around the world. “Over half of the world’s population are under 30 years old. We want to bring the world’s youth to the spotlight, talking about innovation in their way, observing the world through their eyes and solving challenges using their methods and words. “We want to build connections that could foster new ideas and innovations from all around the Africa. This is the first 2063 event, so we may expect most of the participants to come from Africa. But for the long-term vision, we expect it to be an international gala where someone from Boston could meet peers from Kinshasa. Agenda 2063 stands as a catalyst for African transformation, calling for collective action and a shared vision to shape a future in which Africa emerges as an undisputed force on the world stage. It embodies the spirit of innovation, resilience and determination needed to achieve sustainable prosperity.

SUSTAINABILITY , the theme carefully chosen for the moot competition (.https://lexclimatica.com; and for the international summit, sums up our firm belief in the transformative power of international law. This theme resonates with Agenda 2063.This summit is a privileged momentum to strengthen the civil society network and regenerate trust in the era of sustainability. Organized on the eve of the AFRICA CEO FORUM, the largest international gathering of the African private sector, the Summit aims to bring together leaders, experts, and stakeholders to discuss and strategize on sustainable practices, climate investments, and environmental stewardship across the African continent. Together, we can pave the way for a greener, more sustainable future. This event aligns with the broader goals of fostering collaboration and promoting sustainable initiatives to accelerate the implementation of AfCFTA.

 By encouraging creativity and innovation, Agenda 2063 seeks to harness the potential of young people to actively contribute to the transformation and progress of the African continent. This is an important recognition that innovation is not limited by age, and that a diversity of perspectives is a powerful catalyst for development.

EMBRACING SUSTAINABILITY AND ESG IN AFRICA: CHALLENGES & OPPORTUNITIES

With the acceleration of the energy and digital transitions, global demand for critical minerals has grown exponentially in recent years. Africa, 
with its extensive and still relatively unexploited reserves, hopes to take advantage of this opportunity to support its industrialization trajectory, based on increased local processing of its minerals, and to play a greater role in international green technology value chains. However, these ambitions need to be analyzed in the light of the geological and economic realities of each project, as well as the political  and environmental specificities of each country. Africa will also have to take into account the industrial risk resulting from possible rapid technological developments and the commercial risk from the rise of “green protectionism.

Critical minerals, such as cobalt, copper, lithium, nickel and rare earths, play a crucial role in the production of clean energy technologies, from wind turbines to electric cars. Over the past 20 years, annual trade in critical energy-related minerals has grown from $53 billion to $378 billion. However, strong demand for clean technology products is putting pressure on supply chains for these minerals. Ensuring a secure and sustainable supply of minerals critical to the transition to clean energy has rapidly become a top priority for governments, businesses and investors worldwide.

“We cannot repeat the mistakes of the past”, with the systematic exploitation of developing countries reduced to the production of basic raw materials, said Mr. Guterres.

The Expert Group on Essential Minerals for the Energy Transition will bring together governments, international organizations, industry and civil society to develop common, voluntary principles to guide the extractive industries in the years ahead, “in the name of justice and sustainability”.

The promises of globalisation have not been fulfilled for all, fuelling a mistrust of bilateral investment treaties and trade agreements within civil society and within states. This is evidenced by the coordinated dismantling of the fabric of intra-European investment agreements to avoid bilateral denunciations in a scattered manner. The main criticisms of these agreements concern the opacity of their negotiations and the primacy of trade rules over health and environmental issues that are poorly taken into account. Finally, they denounce a trade that tends to be an end in itself rather than a means to the benefit of populations.