Climate Debt & Reparations / Dette Climatique et Réparations

This workshop invites Cameroonian NGO’s to come together on the topic of climate debt & reparations in Yaoundé, while Konzeptwerk will join online. The workshop will take place in French and is not open to the public.

Aim of the workshop:

It is very difficult not to consider climate change as one of the fundamental issues facing the general population. But its disproportionate effects on those populations most affected by the legacy of colonialism and the transatlantic slave trade make the whole of the African continent even more vulnerable.

Countries like Cameroon are suffering a double blow: they are being affected by climate change, which they did little to bring about, and they are struggling to repay a large and unjustified debt. For example, according to the Autonomous Amortisation Fund of Cameroon, Cameroon’s debt over the period 2009 to 2022 rose from 1,904 billion to 11,216 billion CFA francs, an increase of 489%.

Rich countries are responsible for the climate crisis and have a responsibility to help the poorest countries through a mechanism of reparations and compensation. In recent years, climate reparations have become an integral part of international debates on climate justice – like at COP27, which did not bring any radical changes, but did draw attention to a major obstacle to speeding up climate action by defusing the disputes that were building up over funding. Supporters of these reparations are calling for compensation for past and present systematic injustices linked to the climate debt and for the reconstruction of the economy in such a way as to guarantee climate justice, well-being and equality for all.

Germany, like other countries in the North, has so far blocked any attempt to recognize the climate debt and related payments, even for loss and damage. And even among climate justice movements (in Germany), the call for climate reparations is not very strong yet.

The aim of this workshop is therefore to create a network, develop strategies and discuss Cameroon’s expectations of the German government in terms of climate debt and reparations. We want to discuss what it would take for Germany to officially recognize and pay its historic climate debt to Cameroon:

• How can the request be formulated to include elements of apology, compensation and guarantees of non-repetition?
• How can these demands be heard and acted upon?
• Where do you see the levers to achieve this?
• What are the main obstacles (legal, political, economic, etc.)?

With the transformation workshop and possible follow-up actions, we hope to strengthen the demand for climate reparations from the German government, the general public and our networks, and endeavour to support the players who are already working on this.