Phd student, Kone Ismail - University Peleforo Gon Coulibaly de Korogho (Ivory Coast) online 
Bridging African and European Approaches for Climate Finance Transparency and Sustainable Land Management

This contribution explores innovative pathways for strengthening African-European collaboration on climate finance transparency and sustainable land management. Drawing from Côte d’Ivoire’s experience in implementing its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and revising its National Adaptation Plan (NAP), the presentation highlights lessons learned in designing Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) systems for climate finance. The Initiative for Climate Action Transparency (ICAT) in Côte d’Ivoire provides a case study of how practical methodologies—such as the Rio Marker system—can improve the tracking and accountability of climate-related funding. Beyond finance, the session addresses the intersection between sustainable land use, soil management, and resilience to climate change. Building on field experiences in northern Côte d’Ivoire, where farmers face soil degradation and climate-related losses, the contribution emphasizes the importance of integrating local knowledge with international frameworks. The discussion seeks to identify joint African-European solutions to climate and environmental challenges through capacity building, data transparency, and inclusive policy processes. By linking financial transparency with sustainable land management, this contribution demonstrates how cross-regional collaboration can support climate-resilient agricultural systems, sustainable cities, and effective adaptation strategies. 

Pr. Ben Ahmed Ali - University of Sfax (Tunisia)
Transregional cooperation for climate, environment, and energy: joint African-European pathways toward sustainable development

The climate crisis poses unprecedented environmental and societal challenges that demand transregional and interdisciplinary cooperation. Africa, despite contributing only 3–4% of global CO₂ emissions, is among the regions most affected by climate change, while Europe possesses advanced technological expertise and a commitment to climate neutrality by 2050. This asymmetry highlights the urgency of building equitable African-European partnerships that combine resources, innovation, and local knowledge. This contribution proposes the creation of a Transregional Africa-Europe Renewable Energy and Climate Innovation Platform to co-develop solar, wind, and green hydrogen projects; establish joint research centers on advanced materials and sustainable technologies; and promote co-supervised PhD programs to strengthen scientific capacity. Such collaboration would not only address Africa’s urgent energy gap—where 600 million people still lack electricity access—but also accelerate global decarbonization by deploying Africa’s untapped renewable potential. By aligning technological innovation with social inclusivity and capacity-building, African-European cooperation can transform the climate crisis into an opportunity for shared resilience, fairness, and sustainable development. 

Dr. Ghorbel Amira - University of Sfax (Tunisia)  online ​
Understanding what shapes the ecological footprint in OECD countries?

Our study aims to analyze the determinants of Ecological Footprint on environmental quality in OECD countries with a particular focus on assessing whether institutional quality of governance measured by an index, improves environmental quality to support sustainable development. Using the Method of Moments Quantile Regression (MMQR) for 30 OECD countries over the 1990/2022 period, we show that renewable energy exerts a negative and significant influence on the ecological footprint across the entire distribution. Similarly technological innovation affect negatively and significantly the ecological footprint across all quantiles. Whera’s natural resource rents are positively associated with the ecological footprint. Urbanization and Human capital are both associated with increased environmental degradation. We show also a validity of the inverted U-shaped Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) pattern observed among OECD nations. The use of renewable energy shows a clear contribution to reducing the ecological footprint, primarily by lessening fossil fuel reliance and slowing environmental degradation. Technological progress has crucial role in fostering environmental sustainability. OECD countries should adopt a dual strategy of resource management and green investment to mitigate the ecological impact of natural resource rents. 

Dr. Hai Thiem Bui - University of Stockholm (Sweden)  online  
Triangular partnerships among universities for promoting research and education on just energy transition: insights from Asia

Triangular partnerships involving Global North institutions providing funding and expertise, alongside South-South collaborations for peer learning offer a robust and practical model for universities to advance research and education on just energy transition. These partnerships emphasize equity, local ownership, and knowledge co-production, aligning with UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and frameworks like the Just Energy Transition Partnerships (JETPs). Universities can co-develop curricula and training to educate future leaders on JET with emphasis on high-quality, concessional financing and stakeholder engagement to avoid debt traps and social unrest. Asian countries’ initiatives like student & staff exchanges, joint degrees, and skill-building workshops which prioritize demand-driven education have been developed to address the issues arising from just energy transition. Triangular models like EU-funded programs link North universities with South consortia for localized content mirrors South-South networks supported by North funding and expertise.