Climate Change and Children’s Rights in Africa: A Continental Overview
African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child
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Abstract: This continental study examines the intersections between climate change and children’s rights across Africa through a child-rights lens anchored in the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACRWC). It highlights that African children—especially girls, children with disabilities, displaced youth, and those in rural or marginalized areas—face disproportionate climate-related risks, including drought, floods, displacement, malnutrition, and educational disruption. Drawing on IPCC data, continental legal analysis, and responses from AU member states, the report advocates for a rights-based, gender-sensitive, and regionally tailored approach to climate adaptation and mitigation. It emphasizes the role of institutions, intergenerational equity, and legal accountability in promoting children’s right to a healthy environment, and urges integration of child-sensitive climate planning into NDCs, NAPs, and regional policy instruments such as the AU Climate Change and Resilient Development Strategy.