By Moses Magadza in Cape Town, South Africa

A high-level regional seminar to address the impact of climate change on children is underway in Cape Town, South Africa, under the theme, “Championing Collective Child-Responsive Climate Action.” 

The seminar will run from 2 to 4 July 2025 at the School of Public Health, University of the Western Cape (UWC).

Organised by the Children’s Rights Project of the Dullah Omar Institute at UWC, it has convened key actors from governments, civil society organisations, academic institutions, and regional bodies working at the intersection of child rights, environmental law, and climate justice.

The seminar comes against the backdrop of an escalating climate emergency that poses serious threats to children across the SADC region. According to a recent continental study by the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC), children are already suffering the consequences of climate-induced disasters (displacement, hunger, school dropouts, child labour, and early marriage) as floods, droughts, and storms ravage communities.

“In SADC, the climate crisis is not a distant threat. It is here, it is now, and it is profoundly impacting our children’s health, education, protection, and development,” a concept note shared ahead of the seminar underscores.

Countries that include Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique, and Madagascar have seen entire school systems disrupted, with over 1.8 million children in Zimbabwe alone missing school due to the 2024 drought.

The seminar seeks to assess the integration of children’s rights into national and regional climate policies; examine the specific threats children face in the climate crisis; secure commitments from governments to adopt child-sensitive climate laws; and develop concrete recommendations for SADC-wide reforms.

The sessions will be guided by continental legal instruments such as the African Union Climate Strategy (2022–2032) and the draft SADC Protocol on Children, which calls for states to adopt policies that safeguard children’s access to clean air, food, education, and health amidst climate disruptions.

The three-day programme is split into two streams. The first two days will include joint sessions for all delegates, focusing on state of climate change and child rights in Africa; governance, humanitarian response, and climate migration; just energy transitions and climate financing; and integration of children’s rights in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs).

Key speakers will include Dr. Musavengana Chibwana who is the Senior Technical Advisor with the Africa Union Commission, Prof. Ademola Jegede of the University of Venda, Professor Maria Assim who teaches International Human Rights Law at UWC,  and representatives from the Centre for Environmental Rights, Save the Children, and the African Committee of Experts.

The third day will focus exclusively on civil society strategic engagements and advocacy tools, including sessions on climate litigation, framing national advocacy strategies, and simplifying climate science for community-level activism.

The seminar has brought together participants from SADC Member States, including researchers under the SADC Parliamentary Forum’s Sweden-funded SRHR, HIV and AIDS Governance Project, national climate and child welfare focal points; representatives of the African Union and ACERWC; legal and academic experts on climate justice; and regional and South African civil society organisations.

Lawmakers from the SADC Parliamentary Forum, which has been instrumental in mainstreaming children’s rights across SADC legislative frameworks, are among the delegates.

Despite the existence of over 27 regional protocols, the SADC climate agenda remains largely silent on children. Organisers argue this gap must be urgently addressed so that children are recognised as rights-holders and agents of change.

Expected outcomes of the seminar include strengthened cross-border coordination on child-responsive climate action; enhanced advocacy tools for civil society organisations (CSOs); and a set of actionable regional recommendations for policy harmonisation.

Some of the discussions will explore climate financing innovations, including carbon credits and dedicated funds to address climate-related risks faced by children.

Delegates will also deliberate on legal frameworks to curb harmful fossil fuel practices while promoting green energy transitions that support the most vulnerable.

Ultimately, this seminar aims to ensure that children’s voices, vulnerabilities, and aspirations become central to how SADC responds to the climate emergency.

Experts, including Dr. Chibwana, say the region faces more intense cyclones, heatwaves, droughts, and floods. This gathering, therefore, seeks to deliver a unified call to action, a climate-safe, equitable future for every child in Southern Africa.

-Moses Magadza is the Media and Communication Manager at the SADC Parliamentary Forum