Over 70 youth from across Africa gathered in Nairobi, Kenya, on 16 and 17 August, for the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) Africa Continental Workshop, a youth engagement forum with the view to strengthening Africa Youth voices on human mobility in the context of climate change.  

This workshop featured interactive sessions, panel discussions, and simulations aimed at enhancing knowledge and capacity of youth about migration, environment and climate change nexus, particularly on climate induced mobility and migration, its relating challenges, possible youth-led solutions and opportunities for interventions. 

Emily Karanja, SID East Africa Programmes Officer, was invited to facilitate the review of the 2022 Inter-Ministerial Conference on Migration, Environment and Climate Change hosted in Kampala, Uganda where Governments from across Africa, representatives from the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the East African Community (EAC), and States of the East and Horn of Africa  met with high level representatives of the African Union, UN agencies, development partners and youth representatives, to promote collaboration and cooperation in relation to climate change induced human mobility, including migration, displacement, and planned relocation.

The youth statement on the road to KDMECC expansion 

Following the success of the Inter-Ministerial Conference, there has been progressive consensus to expand the Kampala Ministerial Declaration on Migration, Environment, and Climate Change (KDMECC). Consequently, Africa youth had the opportunity to create critical messages at this forum prior to a three-day Conference of States that began August 23, 2023, co-hosted by the Governments of Kenya and Uganda with support from the IOM and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on the continental expansion of the KDMECC. At the close of the conference a total of 48 countries agreed to adopt the declaration. 

Further, these key Africa Youth messages will be included in the Global Youth Statement ahead of the Africa Climate Summit and Africa Climate Week (4-6 September) in Nairobi, Kenya, and at the Conference of Parties (COP28), in Dubai UAE, (30 November – 12 December).

To relive moments from the Africa Youth Forum, we published a thread of the discussions on our Twitter/X profile.