ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS AFRICA COALITION GATHERS TO CHAT FIVE-YEAR PATH FOR ENVIRONMENTAL DEMOCRACY IN SIERRA LEONE
February 19, 2025
Freetown, Sierra Leone Against the backdrop of Sierra Leone’s lush coastal landscape, a pivotal moment in the fight for environmental rights in Africa is unfolding.
Activists, legal experts, and civil society leaders from across the continent have convened in Freetown for a high stakes meeting that could shape the future of environmental governance in Africa. The ERA Coalition, a pan-African movement advocating for a regional environmental rights agreement, is gathered in Freetown from 17 to 21 February to finalize its five-year strategic plan.
The roadmap will guide efforts to advance environmental democracy, protect land and environmental defenders, and push for stronger legal frameworks that hold governments and corporations accountable for environmental injustices.
A Turning Point for Environmental Advocacy For the past several years, ERA has worked tirelessly to amplify the voices of frontline defenders and communities affected by environmental degradation. Despite legal protections existing in many African countries, enforcement remains weak, and civic spaces continue to shrink under political and corporate pressures. The need for a regional treaty has never been more urgent.
“This meeting marks a defining moment for environmental rights in Africa,” said Alfred Brownell, a lead organizer of the gathering. “We are not just discussing policies—we are building a movement that will ensure that African communities have the legal tools to protect their lands, waters, and livelihoods.”
Over the course of the week-long meeting, participants will review national case studies, assess challenges, and define clear advocacy strategies to engage governments, the African Union, ECOWAS, and intergovernmental bodies such as the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), among others. Key agenda items include Refining the five-year work program, ensuring that research, advocacy, and coalition-building efforts remain aligned with the movement’s overarching goals.
Strengthening ERA’s governance structure and defining the roles of regional and national focal points to improve coordination and impact. Mapping out government engagement strategies and identifying potential state champions who can lead efforts to push for a regional treaty.
Developing a funding strategy and ensuring the sustainability of ERA’s initiatives through partnerships and donor support. A special session on lessons learned from the Escazú Agreement, Latin America’s landmark environmental rights treaty, will also be held, allowing participants to draw inspiration from another region’s successful efforts to secure binding legal protections for environmental defenders.
The gathering in Sierra Leone is more than just a planning session it is a reaffirmation of the collective will of African civil society to demand environmental justice. The decisions made in Freetown will set the stage for the next five years of advocacy, influencing national policies and paving the way for a continent-wide environmental rights agreement. With mounting environmental challenges, deforestation, land grams, pollution, and climate change, the work ahead is urgent and necessary.
As the week draws to a close, ERA will emerge with a renewed mandate, a strengthened coalition, and a bold vision for the future where environmental rights are not just recognized but actively enforced across Africa.
