Addis Ababa, September 8, 2025 (FMC) – The Second Africa Climate Summit (ACS2) kicks off today in Addis Ababa, drawing African Heads of State and thousands of delegates from across the contijent and around the globe for three days of high-level discussions on climate finance and green development.
Hosted at the Addis International Convention Center (AICC) from September 8–10, the summit convenes under the theme “Accelerating Global Climate Solutions: Financing for Africa’s Resilient and Green Development.”
The gathering aims to unify Africa’s voice on climate action, reposition the continent as a leader in global climate governance, and ensure that Africa’s priorities are strongly represented in upcoming international negotiations, including COP30 and the G20.
The summit is expected to adopt the landmark Addis Ababa Declaration, launch flagship reports, and roll out initiatives to mobilize billions in green investments—signaling a turning point in Africa’s shift from ambition to action.
The summit opens against a backdrop of robust preparatory activity: Climate Week 2025 (CW2) wrapped up just before ACS2, staged across multiple sites in Addis Ababa—among them the historic Adwa Victory Memorial—where a wide range of thematic events and stakeholder consultations laid the groundwork for the summit.
Simultaneously, the Second Africa–CARICOM Summit opened yesterday in Addis Ababa, underscoring the continent’s growing partnership with the Caribbean. At the opening session, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission called on Africa and the Caribbean to jointly demand that former colonial powers acknowledge historic crimes, provide meaningful reparations, and dismantle structural and systemic injustice—describing the summit as a watershed moment and turning point in the collective aspirations of both regions.
CARICOM Secretary-General echoed this sentiment, referring to the gathering as a “homecoming” that renews fraternal bonds, reinforces operational mechanisms under the AU–CARICOM Memorandum of Understanding, and propels action in areas like health, transportation, and trade, while urging advocacy for reform of international financial systems.
Also speaking at the opening, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative to the African Union characterized the summit as rich in historical significance: an in-person reunion of leaders from Africa and the Caribbean, offering a unique platform for cooperation in trade, investment, tourism, science, technology, and reparatory justice—reflecting a model of inclusive, people-centered multilateralism.
Among those attending the ACS2 opening are Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, President of Angola (current AU Chairperson), and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, along with heads of state, civil society and youth representatives, and private-sector delegates.