Decolonising African Soil?

On WED, June 17th 2026 at 7:00 p.m., we host an evening on Africa’s first Model Law on Sustainable Soil Management, adopted by the Pan-African Parliament. The keynote by Oliver Ruppel will be followed by a panel discussion on Austria–Africa relations, strategic partnerships, and sustainable development.

Late 2025 Africa has taken a step towards decolonising African soil for sustainable development, food security, and environmental protection when the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) adopted the continent’s first Model Law (ML) on Sustainable Soil Management. This law shall now provide 55 African Union (AU) member countries with a legal framework and toolkit to safeguard their soils and strengthen resilience to climate change. Grounded in 11 country studies from across the continent, which examined existing soil legislation and governance systems, the ML was designed to guide AU Member States in developing or strengthening national legislation and policies. The ML could even serve other regions of the Global South, offering implementation pathways adaptable to diverse legal systems. Oliver Ruppel, Research Centre for Climate Protection Law (‘Clim:Law:Graz’), University of Graz and professor at Stellenbosch University, South Africa, provides firsthand insights on legal, political and diplomatic challenges of developing, negotiating and implementing such a complex process. The keynote is followed by a panel discussion with distinguished guests […] discussing Austria's relations with the African continent, particularly in terms of the new Africa strategy, bilateral projects, multilateral processes transformative impact, strategic alliances and new ways of investment, especially but by no means exclusively in areas such as agriculture, trade, migration, financial and climate policy.

Afro-Asiatisches Institut
Leechgasse 22, 8010 Graz
www.aai-graz.at
+43 (316) 32 44 34
office@aai-graz.at
Haltestelle Uni-Mensa: Buslinien 39, 41, 63
keine eigenen Parkplätze, öffentliche in der Umgebung