20/06/2026
At the recently concluded Bonn Climate Change Conference (SB64), held on 18 June 2026, the DRC Climate Change Network presented its proposal for a Universal Legally Binding 1% Tax for a Just Energy Transition.
The proposal, championed by Mr. Appolinaire Zagabe, Regional Director of PEPA, introduces an innovative financing mechanism designed to ensure that the global shift toward clean energy also delivers justice for communities affected by mineral extraction and resource exploitation.
At the centre of this initiative is the creation of a Community Global Fund for Energy Transition, financed through a universal 1% tax on energy-transition and mineral-based products. This fund would directly support climate adaptation, community development, environmental restoration, and youth-led climate solutions in vulnerable regions.
Mr. Zagabe emphasized that as the world accelerates the transition to clean energy, justice, transparency, and accountability must remain at the heart of the process. Through digital traceability systems, artificial intelligence, and youth innovation, the initiative aims to strengthen mineral supply-chain monitoring, improve revenue transparency, and measure real community impact.
This proposed mechanism has the potential to generate significant annual resources and create a fairer global financing model—one that ensures that communities at the source of critical minerals are not left behind in the green economy.
Climate justice must be central to the energy transition.,