Meet the young people advocating for a better climate future

With these words, Iqra, an Eco Champion from Somalia, set the tone for SOS Children’s Villages’ presence at COP30—the United Nations Climate Change Conference—in Belém, Brazil.  

Her message captured the urgency felt by millions of children and young people 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 center.   

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 in November 2025 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.  

The climate crisis is a children’s rights crisis  

For more than one billion children, the global climate crisis is a daily reality.  

Environmental degradation, water scarcity and increasingly severe natural 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, former SOS Children’s Villages Worldwide board member, who attended COP30.  

Learn more about the critical connection between climate and child protection. 

Young people leading solutions: The Eco Champions at COP30  

The Eco Champions program—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.   

Read more about how SOS amplifies young people’s voices, so they can advocate for their rights, contribute their expertise on policy reform and be leaders in shaping their own futures.  

Throughout the week, three Eco Champions—Iqra of Somalia, and Zeina and Khaled, both from Jordan—participated in side events, panel discussions and experience-sharing meetings, highlighting 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 mobilizing schools against deforestation.  

Zeina brought attention to Jordan’s acute water scarcity, highlighting how water shortages threaten children’s rights. For girls, the lack of clean, safe drinking water poses further, unique risks to their safety, education, health and economic opportunities.  

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 the recognition of children, young people and women as partners in climate policy.  

What SOS 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.  

Climate action is essential to ensure a safe, sustainable future for children and families worldwide.   

At SOS Children’s Villages, we integrate climate-conscious strategies into our programs, equipping children and families with the education and skills they need to adapt and prepare for climate change.   

Join these young climate advocates in protecting the most children from the impacts of climate change and provide every child with the safe, loving, healthy childhood and livable world they deserve. 

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