By: Thoboloko Ntšonyane
MASERU
As the effects of climate change intensify across the African continent, concerns are mounting over the impact on children’s rights and well-being, the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC) has called on governments to ensure child rights are embedded in climate adaptation and mitigation strategies.
This includes integrating them into National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement, and disaster response policies/action plans.
The Africa Environment and Wangari Maathai Day serves as an opportunity to reflect on the contributions by the environmental defenders including the late Nobel Laureate Wangari Maathai.
The Committee recognises the African child environmental defenders for their advocacy around the protection of the environment in their communities, schools, various children’s forums and through peaceful protests.
“The ACERWC takes this opportunity to further highlight the grave adverse implications of the triple planetary crisis (climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss) on the rights and welfare of children in Africa. Among the triple planetary crisis, climate change stands out as one of the most concerning child protection challenges of the continent, with African children bearing the brunt of the global climate crisis.
“African children bear a disproportionate burden of climate-related disasters, including droughts, floods, food insecurity, and health crises. 25 out of 33 countries ranked as ‘extremely high risk’ for children by UNICEF, in the context of climate change are in Africa. Climate-related disasters, particularly droughts and floods, have displaced millions of children, jeopardizing their right to education, health, and survival.
“Water scarcity and land degradation have exacerbated food insecurity, leading to malnutrition and developmental challenges among children. Marginalized children, girls, children with disabilities, and those in conflict zones are particularly vulnerable to climate-induced hardships,” reads the ACERWC statement.
Children are among the most vulnerable groups affected by climate change, with rising temperatures, extreme weather events, and environmental degradation threatening their health, education, and future livelihoods.
ACERWC champions that governments must take proactive steps to protect them.
The ACERWC relocated its Secretariat from Ethiopia to Maseru in March 2020. Hosting the ACERWC Secretariat was widely received as underscoring Lesotho’s commitment to advancing children’s rights and welfare across Africa.
The committee advocates for “the integration of environmental education, including education on climate change, into national curricula” to equip young people with knowledge about sustainability and conservation.
Further, also the ACERWC underscores the importance of “enhancing access to information on climate change through dissemination of context-relevant information on climate change and other environmental issues through mass media.”
With Africa facing escalating climate challenges, the call to integrate child-sensitive policies into national frameworks has never been more urgent.
There are swelling calls that African governments must act decisively to protect children from the worst effects of climate change while empowering them to be part of the solution.