African Regional Climate Justice Symposium

Perspectives from African Youth
on the climate advisory proceedings

February – March 2026

Background

The last two years have been historic for climate justice, presenting three unprecedented advisory proceedings on climate change from the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR), and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS). All three advisory proceedings aim to clarify States' obligations under international law regarding climate change. The outcome of these proceedings and their subsequent implementation have wide-ranging and long-lasting implications for the future of our planet and the survival of humanity. Naturally, the same may be presumed for the forthcoming advisory opinion from the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights (AfCHPR).

Among those most adversely impacted by climate change are African children, youth, and future generations; their futures are at stake, and thus, their voices must be heard. In light of this, World’s Youth for Climate Justice is hosting the African Regional Climate Justice Symposium – a series of blog posts written by young people practicing or studying law, public administration, international relations/political science, environmental studies or related areas providing their insights and perspectives on the on the request for advisory opinion made under the African Charter on Human and People's Rights on the obligations of States with respect to the climate change crisis. This symposium thus serves to hear the voices of present and future changemakers with a distinct vision for Africa’s climate policy, particularly in light of the upcoming AfCHPR advisory opinion.

Objectives

The objectives of this symposium are: 

  1. To raise awareness among African youth, policymakers, civil society, and legal practitioners of the request to the AfCHPR for an Advisory Opinion on the Obligations of States with respect to the climate change crisis;

  2. To provide a structured platform for African youth to articulate their lived experiences, legal arguments, and policy recommendations regarding climate change;

  3. To connect climate adaptation policy discussions with human rights obligations under regional law;

  4. To highlight the disproportionate impacts of climate change on vulnerable communities, including women, children, Indigenous Peoples, pastoralists, and coastal populations;

  5. To situate the African advisory opinion request within the broader international legal context, including proceedings before the International Court of Justice, Inter-American Court of Human Rights, and the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea.

Outcomes

The expected outcomes of the symposium will be:  

  1. A curated collection of 10 selected blog posts authored by African youth, responding to one or more of the following guiding questions:

    1. How should the advisory opinion influence national climate policies and legislation in your country or region?

    2. How can concepts such as community stewardship, ubuntu, and intergenerational equity be incorporated into the legal arguments?

    3. What obligations do third-party actors, especially corporations themselves, have under human rights law in the climate context?

    4. Beyond what is put forth in the request, what legal arguments should African States advance before the Court?

    5. In the face of escalating climate impacts across Africa, which right(s) safeguarded by the continent’s human rights framework do you see as most at risk?

  1. Greater engagement of African youth in regional human rights mechanisms.

  2. Strengthened awareness among stakeholders of the binding and interpretative value of advisory opinions under African human rights law.

  3. Contribution to the evolving interpretation of State duties under African human rights law in the face of the climate crisis.

How to participate

Blogs must be 1500–2500 words long and must be submitted as a Microsoft Word .docx file with the naming style: last name.first name_submissiontitle.docx.

Deadline for submission of the full drafts to the WYCJ Editorial Team: 22 March, 2026 at 11:59pm UTC+3.

WYCJ is going to host a webinar in the form of a panel discussion, in which all authors will present a brief overview of their work and reflect on its reception since publication, as well as related submissions by their peers. The Symposium Webinar and Networking Event is taking place on 4 April, 2026.

If you have any questions, please reach out to the WYCJ Africa Front Lead Angélique Umutesi: angelique@wy4cj.org.


Submit your blog