Led by Program Assistant Hélène Himmer, the participants included leaders from organizations actively engaged in climate issues, environmental protection, youth empowerment, and community resilience:
Climate Hub Tanzania (Tanzania)
KESHO Alliance (Kenya)
The MobLab’s sessions began with an introduction to climate reparations. Session 1 introduced core concepts of climate reparations from an African perspective, providing an overview of the history of the climate reparations narrative, identified the key challenges, setting the groundwork for deeper exploration. In Session 2, Adrián Martinez Blanco, Director of the Costa Rican NGO La Ruta del Clima, led discussions on advocacy strategies for COP29. Adrián, a PhD candidate at the University of Eastern Finland, has been advocating at UNFCCC summits since 2014 and specializes in climate impacts, loss and damage, human rights, and international climate law. Adrian Martinez Blanco’ presentation on effective advocacy strategies at climate summits, provided participants with tools and advises amplifying climate reparations issues at international forums, sharing experiences and lessons learned.
In Session 3 featured by Patrick Toussaint, an international lawyer with over eight years of experience in environmental law and policy, specializing in climate change, biodiversity, and air pollution. Patrick explored the role of international law and litigation tools, including the Loss and Damage Fund, and using concrete legal cases to support climate reparations.
The final session took place on November 5th, where participants shared their feedback and insights, discussing actionable steps to implement climate reparations narratives within their work.
This collaborative effort has fostered a dynamic space for knowledge-sharing, aiming to strengthen advocacy strategies and elevate the voices of Africa’s most vulnerable communities, including youth.