{"id":89735,"date":"2025-07-03T16:16:22","date_gmt":"2025-07-03T16:16:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/put-children-at-heart-of-climate-action"},"modified":"2025-07-03T16:21:56","modified_gmt":"2025-07-03T16:21:56","slug":"put-children-at-heart-of-climate-action","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/put-children-at-heart-of-climate-action","title":{"rendered":"Put Children at Heart of Climate Action"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Namibia. <\/strong><\/span> <\/b> A SADC regional seminar on children\u2019s rights and climate change got underway in Cape Town yesterday, with Botswana\u2019s Deputy Speaker Helen Manyeneng challenging SADC parliamentarians to reimagine climate governance.<\/p>\n

This, Manyeneng said, can be achieved through the eyes of the region\u2019s most vulnerable \u2013 its children.<\/p>\n

Speaking at the opening of the seminar, Manyeneng, a member of the SADC Parliamentary Forum, made a call to action, warning that \u201cthe storm is already upon us\u201d and children are bearing the brunt.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe meet here not out of routine,\u201d said the delegates gathered at the School of Public Health at the University of the Western Cape, and added, \u201cWe gather because the impact of climate change is neither abstract nor remote. It is immediate, it is devastating, and it is disproportionately borne by the most vulnerable among us, our children.\u201d<\/p>\n

Held under the theme \u201cChampioning Collective Child- Responsive Climate Action\u201d, the three-day seminar brings together researchers under the SADC PF Sweden-funded SRHR, HIV and AIDS Governance Project researchers, parliamentarians, civil society actors, academics, and climate justice advocates to align regional strategies on child-sensitive climate governance.<\/p>\n

Manyeneng highlighted the regional toll of climate change, including Cyclone Freddy\u2019s devastation in Malawi, drought-induced food insecurity in Angola and Zimbabwe, and the destruction of over 6 000 classrooms in Madagascar. She warned that such events are not isolated disasters but systemic assaults on children\u2019s rights to health, education, protection, and even life itself.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet me be abundantly clear: climate change is a children\u2019s rights crisis,\u201d she declared.<\/p>\n

The deputy speaker criticised existing regional and national climate frameworks for continuing to overlook the distinct and urgent needs of children. \u201cThis must change,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Citing the draft SADC Protocol on Children, especially Article 37, which outlines climate protections for children, Manyeneng said the legal framework exists but needs political will and concrete action.<\/p>\n

\u201cProtocols are only as powerful as the political will behind them.\u201d<\/p>\n

She appealed to national parliaments across SADC to use their constitutional mandates to integrate children\u2019s rights into all climate-related laws, National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).<\/p>\n

\u201cLet us enshrine in our laws the right of every child to grow up in a healthy, safe, and sustainable environment,\u201d she urged.<\/p>\n

She added, \u201cLet us ensure that the voices of children \u2013 often spoken about but rarely spoken with \u2013 are central to decision-making processes on climate policy.\u201d<\/p>\n

The seminar focuses on practical solutions such as just energy transitions, climate financing, loss and damage, and legal innovations. Hon. Manyeneng stressed that civil society and parliamentary collaboration would be vital.<\/p>\n

\u201cLegislation is where intention becomes obligation,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She also commended the Dullah Omar Institute and other conveners for organising what she called a \u201ctimely and visionary initiative\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet this be the moment where the SADC region boldly declares, \u2018Our climate agenda will not ignore our children,\u2019\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She continued, \u201cLet this be the moment where we rise as a regional bloc, not just to adapt, but to protect, to empower, and to secure the promise of tomorrow through the actions of today.\u201d<\/p>\n

The regional seminar continues until Friday.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Namibia<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Namibia. A SADC regional seminar on children\u2019s rights and climate change got underway in Cape Town yesterday, with Botswana\u2019s Deputy Speaker Helen Manyeneng challenging SADC parliamentarians to reimagine climate governance. This, Manyeneng said, can be achieved through the eyes of the region\u2019s most vulnerable \u2013 its children. Speaking at the opening of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":89734,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,12],"tags":[233],"class_list":["post-89735","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-policy","tag-namibia"],"yoast_head":"\nPut Children at Heart of Climate Action - Namibia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A SADC regional seminar on children\u2019s rights and climate change got underway in Cape Town yesterday, with Botsw ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/put-children-at-heart-of-climate-action\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Put Children at Heart of Climate Action\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A SADC regional seminar on children\u2019s rights and climate change got underway in Cape Town yesterday, with Botsw ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/put-children-at-heart-of-climate-action\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Namibia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-07-03T16:16:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-07-03T16:21:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nambia\/sites\/29\/2025\/07\/sm_1751547037.588567.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1261\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"945\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/put-children-at-heart-of-climate-action#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/put-children-at-heart-of-climate-action\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Put Children at Heart of Climate Action\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-07-03T16:16:22+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-03T16:21:56+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/put-children-at-heart-of-climate-action\"},\"wordCount\":538,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/put-children-at-heart-of-climate-action#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nambia\/sites\/29\/2025\/07\/sm_1751547037.588567.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"namibia\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/put-children-at-heart-of-climate-action#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/put-children-at-heart-of-climate-action\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/put-children-at-heart-of-climate-action\",\"name\":\"Put Children at Heart of Climate Action - 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