In brief
In South Sudan, teen activists are demanding climate‑resilient school infrastructure, upgraded early‑warning systems, and immediate relief for flood‑affected families. They urge national authorities and international partners to move beyond pledges and fund practical projects as the world heads to COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye, from Nov. 9‑20. The movement highlights the need to embed climate resilience in education and national adaptation plans, with calls for clean energy and sustainable agriculture.
Teenage climate activists in South Sudan have called on national and international authorities to move beyond lofty pledges and adopt concrete measures to protect vulnerable communities. The launch, organized by Save the Children and the Ministry of Environment and Forestry in Juba, coincides with the world’s preparation for COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye, from November 9‑20.
At the event, 17‑year‑old Siama Santino spoke about the daily struggle of attending flooded schools: “Every morning when you wake up, you have to think of how much you are going to move in water or first remove your shoes to reach school.” Santino called for climate education, emergency preparedness training, and targeted humanitarian aid for families displaced by flooding.
18‑year‑old Amoko Ronny, a students’ council representative, highlighted how heat and floods compound poverty. “Children must be the top priority,” Ronny said, urging governments and civil society to invest in resilient school infrastructure, early warning systems, sustainable agriculture, and clean energy. He cited that extreme heat forced local children out of classrooms for two weeks in 2024, while recurring floods destroyed crops and worsened food shortages.
The advocates emphasized that policy gains must be paired with on‑the‑ground projects, urging donors to fund climate‑resilient schools, upgraded early‑warning systems and immediate relief for disaster‑affected families. They stressed the importance of embedding climate resilience into education curricula and national adaptation plans, calling for practical actions that protect children and communities from climate shocks.
