Young people bring frontline solutions to COP30

COP30 - 17 November 2025

Children's rights at the heart of climate action: Eco Champions bring frontline solutions to COP30

"Climate change is stealing our childhood, but together, we can make it give us back our future."

With these words, Iqra, an Eco Champion from Somalia, set the tone for SOS Children's Villages' presence at COP30 in Belém, Brazil. Her message captured the urgency felt by millions of children living on the frontlines of climate change - and framed a central call of the organization's delegation: climate policy must put children's rights at its centre.

Iqra was part of a delegation of Eco Champions - representing a group of young climate activists from Somalia, Jordan, Uganda, Nigeria, Namibia and Sierra Leone - who attended COP30 not only as witnesses to an unfolding crisis, but as innovators, educators and advocates.

They called on governments to stop making decisions about young people without including them - especially those from communities experiencing the most severe climate impacts.

Climate crisis = children's rights crisis

For more than one billion children, the climate crisis is already a daily reality. Environmental degradation, water scarcity and increasingly severe disasters are shaping the world in which they grow up.

Children under five continue to face 90% of all climate-related health risks. In many countries, droughts and floods are displacing families, disrupting education and destroying homes. For children without parental care, or at risk of losing it, the risks are multiplied.

"Climate protection is child protection. These are not abstract words for us. We see every day in our work how children and young people are directly affected by climate change," said Peter Fechner, Board Member, SOS Children's Villages Worldwide, who attended COP 30.

Young people leading solutions - the Eco Champions at COP30

The Eco Champions programme - implemented with national associations of SOS Children's Villages - equips young activists with training, mentoring, seed funding and access to global advocacy spaces. At COP30, this support translated into youth-led contributions to discussions on climate justice, adaptation and children's rights.

Throughout last week, three Eco Champions - Iqra of Somalia, and Zeina and Khaled, both from Jordan - participated in side events, panel discussions and youth dialogues, sharing solutions from their communities.

"In Somalia, children are the first to feel the pain of climate change," said Iqra, explaining how recurring droughts and sudden floods are eroding children's safety, health and education. Through her project, Eco Visionary, she works with students to restore local ecosystems by planting trees, building environmental awareness and mobilising schools against deforestation.

Zeina brought attention to Jordan's acute water scarcity, highlighting how water shortages affect children's rights - including the rights to health, education and clean water.

Khaled showcased how his circular-economy initiative turns organic waste into compost, reduces emissions and supports local livelihoods. He called for greater accountability and for children, young people and women to be recognized as partners in climate policy.

What Eco Champions demanded at COP30

During discussions and side events, the Eco Champions core demands included:

• Child-rights-based national climate commitments and adaptation plans.
• Climate finance that reaches the most vulnerable children and communities, including those experiencing loss and damage.
• Investment in climate-resilient schools, safe water systems and child-friendly health services.
• Meaningful participation of young people in climate policymaking, with specific inclusion of girls and young women.
• Protection of children's rights in the context of climate-related migration.

A movement shaped by youth voices

The Eco Champions' presence demonstrated how young people are advancing climate solutions locally and globally when they have the platforms and support they need. Their stories, expertise and advocacy helped place children's rights firmly on the COP30 agenda.

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