Validation of the study on climate landscape analysis for children

From 18 to 19 March 2025, an intersectoral validation workshop for the Climate Landscape Analysis for Children (CLAC) study on children was held in Gitega to promote children's rights in the face of environmental challenges. The event, organised by the Ministry of the Environment, Agriculture and Livestock through the ''Office Burundais pour la Protection de l'Environnement'', in collaboration with UNICEF, brought together a wide range of stakeholders to discuss the crucial issue of climate change and its repercussions on the well-being of children and young people in Burundi. 

The aim of the workshop was to validate a UNICEF-supported study designed to analyse the country's climate and environmental situation through the prism of its impact on young people. This is a subject of great importance to UNICEF, as it directly affects respect for children's rights. 

“The climate crisis is a crisis of children's rights. The unprecedented heatwaves, fires and floods that have recently hit several countries herald a new and particularly hostile climatic normal... It is unacceptable that today's children and young people are facing such an uncertain future,” said Henrietta Fore, Executive Director of UNICEF, in a report on the climate crisis. 

The study focuses on the specific vulnerabilities that the climate creates for children, such as forced displacement, high risk of child exploitation, family separation, and limited access to basic social services such as water, health and education. It also identifies the government policies that have been put in place to deal with them, and how UNICEF is supporting these efforts.

The discussions highlighted several important points, including the need to improve coordination between national players in the climate field. “Although efforts are already being made, the lack of a platform dedicated to centralising information needs to be highlighted and corrected,” said one of the participants during the discussions on the second day. 

Another crucial issue was the place of children and young people in discussions and decision-making on climate change. It was agreed that young people should not just be seen as beneficiaries, but rather as key players for change. 

Abischag Jitimay, a member of the association IJCD- ''Initiatives des Jeunes pour le Climat et le Développement", expressed, at the validation workshop, her determination to continue her advocacy efforts with government authorities to promote greater inclusion of young people in decision-making processes. In her view, as the first victims of climate change, young people must play a central role in discussions and actions relating to this phenomenon. “Young people in Burundi lack sufficient information on this issue, but they are also under-represented, both in international and regional forums”, she lamented during the debates.

One of the major conclusions of the workshop, which was funded by UNICEF, was the imperative need to strengthen coordination between the various sectors. The integration of climate issues into sectoral policies, such as education, health, nutrition, water, sanitation and child protection, needs to be more coherent. The workshop highlighted the current gaps and proposed cross-sectoral solutions to advance the agenda of children's rights and the well-being of Burundian families.

The recommendations arising from the discussions will be incorporated into the study in order to gain a better understanding of the climate and environmental challenges facing children. They will also guide future actions to ensure their protection, resilience and inclusion in efforts for a more sustainable future.