In this November edition of the AJAN Newsletter, the urgent question of how we can save our planet takes centre stage. While global leaders meet at crucial events like COP30 to negotiate climate policies, African youth are demonstrating that real climate action starts at the community level.

The Society of Jesus’ Social Justice and Ecology Secretariat (SJES), through their campaign “Jesuits for Climate Justice: Faith in Action at COP30,” offers a moral and spiritual perspective on climate discussions. After delivering the letter, the “Jesuits for Climate Justice” campaign held a press conference in the Blue Zone of COP30, in Belém, Brazil, on November 21. The Jesuit delegation used the platform to elaborate on their demands and reflect on how faith, justice, and ecological care intersect in response to the climate emergency.
Their advocacy focuses on three priorities for global leaders:

• Cancel the debts of underdeveloped countries and bolster the Loss and Damage Fund: Unpayable debts hinder developing nations from investing in climate adaptation. Jesuits call for debt cancellation and a grant-based fund to address climate impacts.
• Accelerate agreements and set targets for a fair energy transition: A swift, equitable, and fully financed phase-out of fossil fuels is crucial, in line with the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C goal, while respecting historical responsibilities, indigenous rights, and sustainable livelihoods.
• Set targets to establish a global food sovereignty system grounded in agroecological practices: ecological, culturally adapted agriculture protects biodiversity and empowers smallholder and Indigenous communities.

African youth participating in AJAN’s initiative for youth economic empowerment, called “Jesuit Youth-Led Social Entrepreneurial (JYSEA)” are translating global ambitions into local action. By combining environmental conservation with youth empowerment, their initiatives address both ecological and social challenges. From sustainable agriculture and biodiversity projects to circular-economy initiatives, these young people show that practical, community-driven solutions can create a lasting impact.

Despite obstacles such as unemployment, limited educational opportunities, and social exclusion, African youth continue to lead grassroots initiatives, hold authorities accountable, and develop innovative solutions that make a genuine difference in their communities. Their actions remind us that the present belongs to them as much as the future.

Through these social enterprises, young Africans are putting innovation, ecological stewardship, and spiritual responsibility into practice—reflecting the Jesuit vision of faith in action. The Earth is our common home, entrusted to us by God, and caring for it is both a moral and spiritual duty. By transforming waste into resources, reducing consumption, and building sustainable local economies, these young people are shaping regional and global conversations on climate justice, demonstrating that community-driven innovation is essential for lasting change.

As Africa, one of the continent’s most vulnerable to climate change despite contributing the least, moves forward, fostering youth leadership and community-driven environmental solutions is vital. Social enterprises that integrate ecological conservation with youth empowerment are proof that faith, innovation, and action can intersect to create meaningful change.

In this season of reflection and action, let us continue supporting young people in creating a hope-filled future and, together with all caretakers of creation, answer God’s invitation: to turn ecological conversion into concrete action, transform our economies, and walk humbly yet confidently towards a sustainable, just, and flourishing world. By collaborating with Gospel depth to protect and renew God’s creation, we ensure that our efforts honour both people and the planet, fostering communities rooted in care, justice, and hope.

In this Newsletter, AJAN celebrates the outstanding young voices who won the AJAN Youth Pilgrims of Hope Storytelling Contest 2025. It also features the AJAN Secretariat’s engagement with Fr. Eyrah Foli, SJ, the Conference Youth coordinator, on charting new paths for social innovation within the ANW Province and beyond, as well as the visit of Fr. Patrice Ndayisenga, SJ, Executive Director of JUC Rwanda, who joined staff for a tree-planting activity at Lycée de Kigali—another milestone in JUC’s ongoing Environment Conservation and School Feeding Project.

Additionally, we highlight the strong presence of Centre Arrupe Madagascar (CA-MDG) at COP30 in Belém, Brazil, where the delegation contributed to important discussions on ecological justice and human dignity. The Newsletter also captures key COP30 highlights, including a renewed call from the Jesuits for Climate Justice campaign urging richer nations to commit to debt cancellation and climate finance so that vulnerable communities around the world do not “disappear.”

By, Dennis Owuoche,

AJAN Communications Officer.