Climate Solutions Forum 2025: Collaborating from the Global South for a Just and Sustainable Future
From May 27 to 28, Fundación Avina actively participated in the Climate Solutions Forum 2025, held in South Africa. The event brought together leaders from philanthropy, civil society, government, and the private sector to promote systemic and equitable climate solutions, aligned with social justice and planetary sustainability.
Over two days of intense dialogue and connection, we strengthened strategic alliances and contributed with Global South perspectives to address the challenges of the climate crisis in an integrated, fair, and collaborative way. Our participation reflected Avina's ongoing commitment to ColaborAção, our impact approach developed over 30 years of experience.
Avina-led panel highlights the strategic role of philanthropy
On May 28, we organized the special session "Catalysing a Just Transition: The Strategic Role of Philanthropy in Climate Financing", moderated by our Lead of Strategy, Amadou Mbodj. The panel featured Lisa Chamberlain (Environmental Justice Fund), Severino Lima (International Alliance of Waste Pickers), Justin Sylvester (ClimateWorks Foundation), Shehnaaz Moosa (South South North)
The panel showcased bold, innovative approaches led by Global South actors and funders, who are reimagining climate finance through the lenses of justice, resilience, and inclusion. We also shared Avina's experience in catalyzing systemic transformation through collaborative and cross-sectoral investment models.
Biodiversity, energy, and justice: new pathways for the Global South
Fundación Avina's CEO, Valeria Scorza, delivered the opening remarks for the session "Biodiversity, Energy, and Justice: Charting New Development Pathways for the Global South." This session explored the links between biodiversity conservation, energy transitions, and decentralized governance, with case studies from South Africa, Cameroon, and Kenya. The goal was to foster cross-sectoral and multilevel dialogue, identifying concrete sustainable development pathways for G20 countries.
Governance and climate democracy for the future we want
Avina's Director of Social Innovation, Paula Ellinger, participated in the session "Governing Sustainability: Climate and Energy Democracy for a Just Future," discussing how governance structures can drive more just, transparent, and inclusive climate transitions. The session also highlighted the importance of trust-building in coalitions and the central role of local, national, and international actors in advancing energy democracy.
A reaffirmed commitment to collaborative impact
Fundación Avina's participation in the Climate Solutions Forum 2025 reaffirms our purpose: to act in the collaboration gaps among and with multilevel actors to promote structural transformations in societies and for the planet. We will continue working to ensure climate finance is just, energy transitions are people-centered, and climate governance is built from the ground up, with the leadership of local communities.
