Parliament has hosted the inaugural East African Community (EAC) Children’s Summit on Climate Change, with legislators and development partners calling for children to be meaningfully involved in developing policies and solutions to address the climate crisis.
The summit was held at the Parliament of Uganda on Friday, October 16, 2026, under the theme, “Children Leading East African Integration, Climate, Peace and Prosperity.”
Participants called on East African governments to recognise children not only as among the most vulnerable to climate change but also as important stakeholders in environmental protection and climate policy development.
The Chairperson of the Uganda Parliamentary Forum for Children (UPFC), Susan Abeja, said the summit sought to encourage EAC member states to involve children in designing policies and interventions to address the effects of climate change.
Abeja, who is also the Otuke District Woman MP, said children were experiencing the consequences of environmental degradation despite contributing the least to the causes of the crisis.
“Our position as the Forum is clear: children must not only be protected from the effects of climate change; they must be meaningfully involved in shaping the solutions,” Abeja said.
She noted that children were increasingly exposed to climate-related emergencies, including floods and droughts, which threaten their access to education, food, clean water and other essential services.
“Children are experiencing the consequences of environmental degradation, floods, droughts and other climate-related emergencies, despite having contributed the least to the causes of this crisis,” she added.
The summit attracted members of the Uganda Parliamentary Forum for Children, legislators from the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA), the Deputy Secretary-General of the East African Community, Andrea Arik Malueth, and development partners.
Nakasongola County MP Ivan Kyeyune commended the organisers for providing children with an opportunity to participate in climate change discussions, saying the initiative should challenge adults to reconsider activities that undermine environmental protection.
Kyeyune criticised practices such as commercial farming in wetlands and the establishment of factories in environmentally sensitive areas, arguing that economic interests should not take precedence over the protection of natural resources.
“It is us, the elders, who have prioritised commercialised farming at the expense of wetlands. It is the elders that prefer having factories in wetlands, favouring job creation over environmental protection, yet our children suffer these effects,” Kyeyune said.
He added that the consequences included shortages of food and water, with some children going to school without meals.
Kyeyune urged children to take practical action within their communities to protect the environment, encouraging each participant to plant at least five trees.
Meanwhile, UNICEF Uganda’s Chief of WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene), Environment and Climate Change, Lalit Patra, called on legislators to make concrete commitments to climate action and ensure their implementation within their respective constituencies.
Patra also urged MPs to establish youth climate change groups in their constituencies to sustain environmental initiatives beyond the summit.
He said such groups could help mobilise young people to participate in environmental conservation and promote climate awareness at the community level.
Representing the Ministry of Water and Environment, Dr. Flavia Byekwaso called for increased investment in climate-resilient schools and other public facilities, alongside improved access to clean water and renewable energy.
She emphasised that children should be consulted during the formulation of climate change policies because they experience the effects of environmental degradation and will live with the consequences of decisions made today.
“Children must be consulted during the formulation of climate-change policies, because they experience the effects of environmental degradation and will live longest with the consequences of decisions taken today,” Byekwaso said.
Her remarks highlighted the need for governments to incorporate children's perspectives into climate planning while strengthening infrastructure and services to withstand climate-related shocks.
The summit is scheduled to conclude with a Climate Champions Weekend on Saturday, October 17, 2026, during which participants are expected to plant 5,000 trees at Forest High School in Kasanda District.
The tree-planting exercise is intended to promote environmental conservation and encourage children and young people to take an active role in addressing climate change.
The discussions at the summit reinforced calls for East African governments to move beyond protecting children from climate-related risks and create opportunities for them to contribute to policy development, environmental conservation and community-level climate action.