MPs want children included in regional climate decisions
Abeja said environmental degradation, floods, droughts and other climate-related emergencies continue to affect children, threatening their access to essential services and undermining their wellbeing.
The call was made during the inaugural East African Community (EAC) Children Summit for Climate Change, hosted by the Parliament of Uganda on Friday (October 16).
Ugandan Members of Parliament have called on East African governments to meaningfully involve children in climate-change policymaking, saying young people must have a voice in decisions that will shape their future.
The call was made during the inaugural East African Community (EAC) Children Summit for Climate Change, hosted by the Parliament of Uganda on Friday (October 16).
It was themed: “Children Leading East African Integration: Climate, Peace and Prosperity”.
The summit brought together legislators from the Uganda Parliamentary Forum for Children (UPFC), the East African Legislative Assembly, the East African Community Deputy Secretary General, Andrea Ariik Malueth, and development partners to discuss how children can contribute to regional efforts to address climate change.
Otuke district Woman MP Susan Abeja, the chairperson of UPFC, said the summit sought to encourage East African governments to ensure children are actively involved in developing policies and interventions to address the climate crisis.
She said children bear a disproportionate burden of climate change despite contributing the least to its causes.
Abeja said environmental degradation, floods, droughts and other climate-related emergencies continue to affect children, threatening their access to essential services and undermining their wellbeing.
She said involving children in climate decisions would help governments develop interventions that respond to their experiences and needs, while preparing them to become active participants in protecting the environment.
'Suffering effects'
Nakasongola County MP Ivan Kyeyune commended the summit organisers for giving children an opportunity to participate in climate discussions, saying the initiative should prompt adults to reconsider decisions that put commercial interests ahead of environmental protection.
He blamed adults for environmental destruction, particularly through commercial farming and the establishment of factories in wetlands, warning that children are left to bear the consequences.
“It is we, the elders, who have prioritised commercialised farming at the expense of wetlands; it is the elders who prefer having factories in wetlands, favouring job creation over environmental protection, yet our children suffer these effects, including lack of water and food. I have seen those who go to school without food,” said Kyeyune.
Meanwhile, the Chief of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Environment and Climate Change at UNICEF Uganda, Lalit Patra, challenged MPs to translate the summit’s discussions into concrete commitments that can be implemented in their respective constituencies.
Patra also called on MPs to establish climate-change youth groups within their constituencies to sustain environmental initiatives and ensure that the momentum generated by the summit continues beyond the meeting.
Representing the Ministry of Water and Environment, Dr Flavia Byekwaso said government investment in climate-resilient schools and other public facilities is essential in protecting children from the effects of climate change.
She also emphasised the need to improve access to clean water and renewable energy, noting that children must be consulted when climate policies are formulated because they experience the effects of environmental degradation and will live longest with the consequences of decisions made today.
The summit forms part of broader efforts to strengthen regional cooperation on climate change while recognising children as important stakeholders in East Africa’s development and environmental sustainability.
The event will conclude with a Climate Champions Weekend on Saturday (October 17), during which participants are expected to plant 5,000 trees at Forest High School in Kasanda district.
The initiative is intended to demonstrate how regional dialogue can be translated into practical action, while reinforcing calls for governments to give children a meaningful role in shaping climate policies and protecting the environment for future generations.