Different Contexts, Common Aspirations: East Africa’s Youth and the Climate Challenge

Young people after a green skills training in Nebbi, 2022 (📷JEEP)

When the rains finally came, Amina did not celebrate.

The 20-year-old from the Mount Elgon region in Eastern Uganda had watched the skies for weeks, hoping the rain would rescue her family’s small farm. Instead, intense rainfall flooded fields, farmlands, damaged a nearby road and disrupted classes at her college. Her family’s income was suddenly uncertain, and the future she had been planning felt less predictable.

Across the border in Kenya, another young person might be worrying about drought. In Ethiopia, a young farmer may be confronting water scarcity. In Rwanda, a youth-led environmental group may be restoring a degraded wetland. Different places. Different experiences. Yet beneath these differences lies something remarkably similar: the desire for a secure livelihood, quality education, good health, dignity, participation and a future worth looking forward to.

That is the spirit behind International Youth Day 2026, observed on 12 August under the theme “Different Contexts, Common Aspirations.” The theme recognises that young people live in very different circumstances, but their fundamental aspirations cross borders and economic divides.

For East Africa’s young population, climate change makes these aspirations increasingly difficult to achieve. Climate shocks can disrupt education, livelihoods, housing, water and essential services. UNICEF has warned of the multiple and overlapping climate hazards confronting children and young people across Eastern and Southern Africa.

The consequences are not only physical or economic. Climate-related uncertainty, displacement, insecurity and loss of livelihoods can also weigh heavily on young people’s mental well-being. The 2025 World Youth Report on Youth Mental Health and Well-being identifies environmental crises and climate change among the wider pressures contributing to psychological distress, while highlighting the need for stronger, accessible support systems.

This is where the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide a useful lens. Climate action is not an isolated environmental issue; it is directly connected to SDG 13 on Climate Action, SDG 3 on Good Health and Well-being, SDG 4 on Quality Education, and SDG 8 on Decent Work and Economic Growth. For young people, these goals are not abstract targets - they are about whether they can study, earn a living, stay healthy and imagine a future in which they can thrive.

So, what should East African governments do?

First, make young people partners, not just beneficiaries of climate policy. Youth should have meaningful seats in climate planning, adaptation programmes, disaster-risk management and local development decisions. This would also advance the spirit of SDG 16, which calls for inclusive and participatory institutions.

Second, invest in climate-resilient livelihoods and green jobs. Young people need pathways into renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, ecosystem restoration, climate information services and circular economies. Climate action can become an employment and entrepreneurship opportunity rather than simply another source of anxiety.

Third, strengthen early warning and climate information systems. Warnings must reach young people and the communities around them in formats and languages they can understand and act upon. Schools, universities, youth organisations and digital platforms can become powerful channels for anticipatory action.

Fourth, integrate mental health into climate adaptation. Governments should expand accessible, youth-friendly psychosocial support through schools, health facilities and community services, particularly in areas repeatedly affected by floods, droughts, displacement and conflict. Climate resilience must include emotional and social resilience.

Finally, governments must invest in youth-led solutions. Young people are already innovating, organising and building enterprises in response to environmental challenges. The task is to remove barriers, provide finance and skills, and create platforms where their ideas can influence policy.

International Youth Day2026 should therefore be more than a celebration. It should be a moment of accountability.

East Africa’s young people may live in different contexts, but their aspirations are common.

The call to action is simple: listen to young people, invest in their ideas, protect their well-being, and give them a meaningful role in building a climate-resilient East Africa. Delivering on their aspirations is also central to delivering on the promise of the SDGs—and ensuring that the 2030 Agenda leaves no young person behind.