Youth encouraged to keep stirring up awareness on climate change

Sanusi Tejan Savage, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) Uganda Chief of Mission, has urged youth to continue spreading the word about climate change and its negative consequences.

Sanusi believes that the world will eventually stop and listen to the young voices.

The remarks were made by the IOM Uganda chief of mission during a High-Level Inter-Ministerial Conference on Migration and Climate Change in Kampala.

"In recent years, we have seen more and more young people refusing to wait for tomorrow, they have provided leadership on matters that affect their future, including climate change," Sanusi said.

"I encourage young people to continue taking interest in matters concerning climate change, do not stop."

Sanusi believes that if elders amplify young voices rather than seek ways to silence them, the world will eventually have a good chance of reversing the negative effects of climate change that we are already seeing.

In the same vein, UN Resident Coordinator for Uganda Susan Namondo stated that the government must find better ways to collaborate so that the voices of young people are included in the fight against climate change.

"We need to manifest more visibly a whole government approach, a whole society approach and a whole community approach so that we speak as one," Namondo said.

The high-level inter-ministerial conference on Migration and Climate Change in Kampala seeks to enhance cooperation in relation to climate change induced human mobility, including migration, displacement and planned relocation.

The conference has attracted 12 partner countries from the East and Horn of Africa under the IGAD, EAC and the IOM East and Horn if Africa regions: Burundi, Djibouti, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, United Republic of Tanzania and Uganda.