Experts demand urgent action for Africa’s children amid climate shocks

Uganda is this week proudly hosting the Africa Regional Climate Seminar 2025, a four-day high-level gathering taking place at Fairway Hotel in Kampala from April 7 to 10, 2025.

Convened by Save the Children Norway, the seminar has brought together leading climate and child rights experts from across Africa and beyond, united in a powerful mission: to shift the narrative of climate change from a purely environmental issue to a pressing child rights emergency.

“Climate change is not just an environmental crisis, it is a child rights crisis,” said Famari Barro, country director of Save the Children Uganda, in his keynote address. “It threatens every right of every child, everywhere, but especially those already left behind by poverty and inequality,” he noted.

Barro highlighted the realities facing children across the continent, particularly in Uganda, which he said is ranked as the 36th most vulnerable country globally to climate change.

He pointed out that Uganda’s average temperature has risen by 1.3°C since 1960, with projections warning of a 4°C increase by 2100 unless urgent mitigation efforts are implemented.

Climate and children

Global statistics shared at the seminar painted a harrowing picture of how climate change disproportionately affects children.

According to the UNICEF (2021) Report, over 1 billion children, nearly half of the world’s child population, are at “extremely high risk” of the impacts of climate change.

“Children are the least responsible for climate change, yet they are the ones suffering the most,” emphasised Sine Dyrby Christensen, director of education and climate change at Save the Children Norway. “Their right to survive, to learn, to be protected, and to thrive – all these are under threat,” she added.

Christensen noted that globally, 37 million children lose learning time annually due to climate-related disasters, and 24 million children under five are at risk of wasting due to climate-induced food insecurity by 2050.

In Uganda, this dire global picture is playing out in real time. Climate shocks such as floods, droughts, and landslides have become regular occurrences, accounting for over 40% of the disasters in the country.

A recent Climate Change Landscape Study by Save the Children revealed that 85% of children and 92% of adults had personally experienced the effects of climate change in the last five years, ranging from erratic rainfall to heatstroke, failing crops to disrupted education.

“In regions like Karamoja, Teso, and Kasese, children are walking miles for water. Others are being displaced as weather disasters destroy their homes,” Barro said, adding that “This is not some distant future. This is the here and now.”

Case for urgent policy and programme reform

Participants at the seminar discussed how climate change is reversing gains in education, health, nutrition, and child protection.

Rajib Ghosal, global head of climate portfolio and quality at Save the Children, called on governments and partners to invest in anticipatory action, early warning systems, and child-centred climate policies.

“We must build systems that don’t just respond to climate shocks but anticipate them,” Ghosal stressed, adding that “It’s time to move from talk to transformational action. Children’s lives are literally on the line.”

He further emphasised the importance of integrating climate resilience into basic services such as education, healthcare, and social protection.

In Ghosal’s view, adaptation alone is not enough. A paradigm shift in humanitarian and development programming is needed, according to him.

“In many African countries, adaptation budgets are minuscule compared to the scale of the crisis,” Ghosal said, and noted that “We cannot protect the future of our children with yesterday’s solutions.”

Famari Barro (Right), the Country Director Save the Children International Uganda with Sine Christensen, the Director Climate ChangeAdoptation Save the Children Norway at the Climate Regional Seminar in Kampala on April 7, 2025. (Credit: Nicholas Oneal)

A generational crisis

Malama Mwila, senior child rights advocacy and campaigns advisor at the Pan-African Advocacy Office of Save the Children, emphasised that while global frameworks like the Paris Agreement exist, their implementation is often slow, uneven, and devoid of meaningful child participation.

“Children are not just victims, they are agents of change. But their voices are routinely excluded from climate conversations,” Mwila noted.

The 2024 Landscape Study conducted in Uganda revealed that misconceptions about climate change remain widespread, and that children’s concerns are frequently dismissed or misunderstood by adults and policymakers.

One expert took the occasion to highlight the experiences of children living across the continent. She shared a story from the seminar, saying, “Many children told us they are deeply worried about environmental degradation and climate change. It affects their mental well-being and their sense of future. It’s our duty to ensure that their voices are not only heard but acted upon.”

Strategic shifts in Uganda

Barro noted that Save the Children Uganda, which has operated in the country since 1959 and now covers 30 districts, is shifting its approach to become more climate-responsive.

“Our current five-year strategic plan focuses on five key areas: access to quality healthcare and a resilient education system, inclusive, quality basic education for all children, and child protection from violence and abuse through strong protective services,” he said.

Additionally, he mentioned that other approaches in their strategy revolve around fostering diversified and resilient livelihoods, including food security and child participation in governance, ensuring they can hold duty bearers accountable.

“We are focusing more on partnerships, localisation, and supporting government systems to ensure sustainability,” Barro said. However, he acknowledged that they must also ensure their work is aligned with climate realities.

Regional solidarity

Christensen said that the seminar, supported by NORAD and hosted under the auspices of Save the Children Norway, marks a shift and a recognition that climate is not a fringe issue. “It’s at the core of development, of peace, and of protecting childhoods,” she noted.

Throughout the week, she added, regional delegates will exchange strategies on how to embed climate resilience into education, health, child protection, and humanitarian response.

Topics to be discussed range from eco-schools and green curricula to early warning systems, policy reform, and funding mechanisms.

“We must act now and act together,” urged Mwila. “Africa’s children cannot wait. The world must not look away,” he reiterated.

Barro also emphasised that “This is the time to think boldly and act bravely. Our children’s future depends on the choices we make today. Let us not fail them.”

In a continent where climate extremes are intensifying and childhoods are under siege, some participants viewed this seminar as a wake-up call and a rallying cry.

They highlighted that the climate crisis is not tomorrow’s threat but today’s emergency, requiring an urgent response and courage.