Ethiopia: Climate security moves up Africa’s agenda with journalism in front

The Federation of African Journalists (FAJ) and the African Union Commission's Department of Political Affairs, Peace and Security co-hosted an official side event at the Second Africa Climate Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 9 September. Discussions examined how journalism strengthens climate peace and security under the theme "From Crisis to Resilience: Advancing Climate Justice, Peace and Security in Africa".

Credit: The Federation of African Journalists (FAJ).

Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, the AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, opened the high-level dialogue and underlined the urgency of acting now. "Africa is at the frontline of the climate crisis.(...) The role of the media, represented here by the Federation of African Journalists, is essential in shaping narratives that are accurate, inclusive and action-oriented. By telling the stories of those most affected, the media ensures accountability and mobilises citizens and leaders to act with urgency."

Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Office for the African Union (UNOAU), stressed the value of UN-AU cooperation that links climate security with overall peace and stabilisation efforts in the continent. He emphasised that the UN provides strong and extensive help to the AU and its member countries to tackle the climate crisis by involving everyone, including journalists, who make scientific findings and policy choices easy to understand for communities, leaders and partners before, during and after climate-related emergencies.

Dr Bärbel Kofler, Parliamentary State Secretary at Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, reaffirmed Germany's support for African-led climate and peace initiatives and for the protection of journalists, as free media is a cornerstone for the whole world. She highlighted the importance of trustworthy information in addressing climate insecurity and the challenges people face, including tackling disinformation and misinformation. She also welcomed partnerships that bring the African Union, governments and journalists together to improve information integrity, strengthen accountability and channel resources to communities most affected by climate impacts.

Yodit Zenebe Mekuria, Oxfam Ethiopia Country Director, focused on frontline experience from Oxfam's work in Ethiopia and across Africa. She explained that journalism elevates community voices, documents climate-related displacement and food insecurity and helps ensure that adaptation plans respond to gender, livelihood and protection needs. She called for stronger gender justice in climate action, noting that women and girls bear disproportionate burdens and encouraged deeper collaboration between journalists and all actors so that data and lived experience inform policy, solution-finding and adequate climate funding.

Anthony Bellanger, General Secretary of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), welcomed the AU's engagement with African journalists and stressed that journalism is a public good that informs and educates people. He underscored that journalists across Africa have an indispensable role in the climate, peace and security agenda. Specifically, he called for concerted efforts to invest in journalism that drives climate action and explained the inseparable link between climate security and just transitions by encouraging newsrooms to track promises, policies, actions, labour impacts and community safeguards so the public can measure promises against outcomes while ensuring journalists receive the protections they need to report freely and safely.

Omar Faruk Osman, President of FAJ, affirmed FAJ's commitment to making journalism a driver of Africa's climate security agenda for peace and stability on the continent. He presented the outcomes of the pre-summit forum held on 6-7 September, which focused on climate security, just transition principles and practical recommendations. He set out the need to strengthen safety protocols, build newsroom capacity for climate security reporting and deepen collaboration with the African Union, UN partners and civil society so that journalism informs decisions that protect people and the planet, while stressing the need to preserve information integrity by confronting disinformation and misinformation, which exacerbate climate risks and threaten peace and stability.

The speakers underscored the importance of multi-stakeholder engagement on climate, peace and security, which is fundamental to journalism's role in shaping Africa's narrative. They were in unison in calling for the swift finalisation, adoption and implementation of the Common African Position on Climate, Peace and Security by the African Union; for gender-responsive adaptation; for conflict-sensitive journalism in climate-affected contexts; and for climate finance that reflects the needs of communities, including women and marginalised groups. They urged newsrooms to report on and monitor climate-induced insecurity that undermines Africa's peace and stability and to track just transition commitments, including jobs, social protection and community safeguards, while safeguarding information integrity.

This official side event was made possible with support from GIZ and Oxfam International. During the meeting, FAJ President Omar Faruk Osman presented the Addis Ababa Declaration on Media, Climate, Peace, Security and Justice, adopted at the Pre-Summit Forum for the Second Africa Climate Summit, held on 6-7 September 2025, to Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, the AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security.

Download the Addis Ababa Declaration on Media, Climate, Peace, Security and Justice.