Africa-Asia Climate Conference 2026

100+ Universities. Two Continents. One Distributed Climate Action Platform.

7–9 October 2026 | Distributed across Africa and Asia

The Africa-Asia Climate Conference 2026 (AACC 2026) aims to bring together 100+ universities across Africa and Asia through a distributed model connecting faculty, students, researchers, governments, cities, communities, innovators, and climate finance partners.

Instead of creating temporary local conference chapters, participating universities are invited to organize and host Climate Action Labs.

These Labs serve two purposes: they become local catalysts for AACC 2026 and, more importantly, remain as platforms for continuing climate collaboration long after the conference.

100+ Universities, 100+ Climate Action Labs

Each participating university organizes a Climate Action Lab around one or more climate challenges relevant to its city, region, or country.

During AACC 2026, these Labs become the distributed sites of the conference. Faculty, students, local governments, communities, businesses, and other partners work on locally defined challenges while connecting with universities working on related issues elsewhere in Africa and Asia.

A typical process can move through:

Local Climate Challenge → Creative Inquiry → Team Formation → Action-Research → Solution Design → Local Experimentation → Africa-Asia Learning

The distributed model builds on the original concept of universities working simultaneously around shared themes and contributing their work to a wider continental platform.

Seven Shared Climate Action Tracks

Climate Action Labs can organize their work around seven interconnected areas:

1. Climate Diplomacy & Governance

2. Renewable Energy & Just Energy Transition

3. Climate and Health, Adaptation & Resilience

4. Biodiversity, Ecosystems & Regenerative Development

5. Climate Finance & Investment

6. Artificial Intelligence & Climate Innovation

7. Youth Climate Leadership & Communications

Universities may work across several tracks or concentrate their Lab around challenges particularly important to their location.

A Conference for Designing Joint Action-Research Fellowships

One of the central purposes of AACC 2026 is to bring universities together to co-design joint Action-Research Fellowship Programs.

Rather than ending with conference presentations, universities working on related climate challenges can form cross-country collaborations that continue for months or years after AACC.

Potential collaborations could include:

• Africa-Asia Climate & Health Fellows

• Just Energy Transition Fellows

• Climate Finance Fellows

• Urban Climate Resilience Fellows

• Biodiversity & Regenerative Development Fellows

• AI for Climate Action Fellows

• Climate Diplomacy Fellows

• Youth Climate Leadership Fellows

Each fellowship connects people working on real problems in real places. Fellows undertake action-research through their respective Climate Action Labs while learning with teams in other countries.

The original conference architecture specifically envisioned collaborative design of fellowships, courses, and labs as a major conference activity.

Climate Action Labs: Local Roots, Global Connections

The Climate Action Lab becomes the continuing institutional platform created or strengthened through AACC.

Each Lab works in two directions.

Locally: University + City

The university develops a continuing climate collaboration with its city or local government.

The Climate Action Lab brings together:

University + City + Communities + Government + Business + Civil Society + Climate Finance

Cities and communities provide real climate challenges and places for experimentation. Universities contribute research, faculty expertise, students, convening capacity, and institutional continuity.

Together they can undertake creative inquiry, action-research, policy experimentation, pilot projects, and implementation.

Globally: University + University

Every Climate Action Lab also becomes a node in the wider Africa-Asia network.

Labs working on similar challenges can find one another and collaborate across countries.

A university working on flooding, heat, renewable energy, food systems, biodiversity, climate finance, public health, or another challenge can work with universities confronting related problems elsewhere.

This creates an infrastructure for cross-country Action-Research Fellowships, comparative learning, joint courses, faculty collaboration, student projects, and replication of promising solutions.

The AACC Collaboration Cycle

AACC 2026
100+ universities convene simultaneously across Africa and Asia.

↓

Climate Action Labs
Universities create or strengthen locally rooted platforms for ongoing climate action.

↓

University-City Collaboration
Each Lab works with its city, communities, and other institutions on real climate challenges.

↓

Joint Action-Research Fellowships
Labs working on similar challenges form cross-country fellowship programs.

↓

Africa-Asia Learning
Fellows and Labs compare experiences, exchange knowledge, and learn from experimentation across different contexts.

↓

Adaptation & Replication
Promising approaches can move between universities, cities, and countries.

From a Three-Day Conference to a Permanent Collaboration Infrastructure

AACC 2026 is therefore designed around a simple proposition:

Do not build temporary conference chapters. Build institutions that remain after the conference.

The conference provides the convening moment.

Climate Action Labs provide the local institutional infrastructure.

Action-Research Fellowships provide the mechanism for sustained collaboration.

Cities and communities provide the real-world challenges and environments for experimentation.

The Africa-Asia network provides the global learning architecture.

What AACC 2026 Aims to Catalyze

By the end of the conference, the emerging network could include:

• 100+ university-hosted Climate Action Labs

• Joint Africa-Asia Action-Research Fellowship Programs

• University-city climate partnerships

• Cross-country action-research teams

• Joint research initiatives

• Co-listed climate courses

• Faculty and student collaborations

• Climate innovation and venture pipelines

• Partnerships with governments and communities

• Climate finance and investment initiatives

• Thematic networks connecting universities working on similar climate challenges

This builds on the original ambition to develop Climate Action Labs as a longer-term university climate infrastructure rather than treating the conference as an isolated event.

From 100+ Labs to a Global University Climate Network

AACC 2026 can begin with more than 100 universities, but the architecture is designed to grow.

New universities can establish Climate Action Labs. Existing Labs can bring neighboring universities and cities into their work. Fellowship programs can expand across countries. Successful approaches can be adapted and tested in new places.

Over time, this creates a distributed network of university-hosted Climate Action Labs across Africa and Asia.

Local enough to work on real problems.

Connected enough to learn globally.

Africa-Asia Climate Conference 2026

7–9 October 2026

Distributed across 100+ universities in Africa and Asia

Host a Climate Action Lab.

Partner with your city.

Design an Action-Research Fellowship.

Connect with universities across Africa and Asia.

Keep collaborating after AACC 2026.