Against the backdrop of a rapidly changing climate and rising global concern for marine ecosystems, Uganda’s capital city played host to a powerful dialogue that is charting a bold new course for youth leadership in ocean conservation. The Climate Café, held on May 22 at Media Challenge Initiative (MCI), convened dynamic young changemakers, climate advocates, scientists, diplomats, and environmental justice leaders under the theme: “Strengthening Youth Leadership for Ocean Action: A Dialogue Towards UNOC 2025.”
Organized by Girls for Climate Action and powered by the French Embassy in Uganda, the event marks a significant mobilization of East African youth in the lead-up to the Third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3), co-hosted by France and Costa Rica from June 9–13, 2025 in Nice, France.
MCI: A Launchpad for Youth-Driven Climate Diplomacy
Hosting the event at Media Challenge Initiative, a transformative media innovation hub in Kampala, was no coincidence. As a bastion for youth engagement in media, journalism, and civic discourse, MCI provided the ideal environment to cultivate solution-driven conversations among Uganda’s next generation of climate and ocean champions.
“Hosting such a vital global dialogue here at MCI is a testament to the power of youth voices when given the tools and platforms to lead,” remarked Howard Mwesigwa, event moderator and Board Chair of the EU Youth Sounding Board. “Young people are not waiting for permission—they are defining the climate agenda.”
A French Diplomatic Mission for Ocean Protection
Delivering the keynote address, David Germain-Robin, Acting Head of Cooperation and Cultural Affairs at the French Embassy in Uganda, issued an urgent and inspirational call to action, “Even a landlocked country like Uganda is intricately tied to the fate of the oceans. Over 50% of the oxygen we breathe comes from the ocean, and 30% of the CO₂ we emit is absorbed by it. The ocean connects us all,” he said.
He underscored France’s commitment to ocean diplomacy, especially ahead of UNOC 3, where world leaders will gather to adopt the “Nice Ocean Agreements”—a proposed international pact to safeguard marine ecosystems and ensure sustainable ocean governance.
Germain-Robin urged Uganda to sign and ratify the BBNJ Agreement (Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction), calling it a foundational legal framework for protecting marine biodiversity in the high seas, which make up over 60% of the world’s ocean area and remain outside national jurisdictions.
“The BBNJ Treaty is a legal leap forward. Without it, we cannot enforce protections for our shared oceanic commons. We look to Uganda—through its leaders and its people—to join this global movement for the oceans.”
Youth, Indigenous Wisdom, and Legal Power: The Panel Speaks
The event’s high-level panel, comprised of diverse thought leaders from across Uganda’s climate justice spectrum, engaged in a provocative exchange on youth empowerment, indigenous knowledge, legal action, and community-led environmental governance.
Key panelists included:
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Hilda Flavia Nakabuye, Executive Director, Fridays for Future Uganda
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Joanita Babirye, Programmes & Strategy Lead, Girls for Climate Action
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Moses Egaru, Country Representative, IUCN Uganda
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Shafiq Nedala, Spatial Data Scientist & Environmental Geographer
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Shiba Ainomugisha, Legal Officer, National Association of Professional Environmentalists
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Howard Mwesigwa, Moderator, EU Youth Sounding Board. “Youth must move beyond tokenism. We must be intentionally included in policy-making—not just as future leaders, but as present actors,” emphasized Hilda Flavia Nakabuye. “If we’re not at the table, we will remain on the menu.”
Joanita Babirye spotlighted the resource and funding gaps that hinder young Africans from participating meaningfully in global climate discourse, “Information access, funding, and policy literacy are not privileges—they are rights. If we truly want inclusion, we must invest in youth capability across the continent.”
Shafiq Nedala made a compelling case for integrating indigenous knowledge systems into environmental data frameworks and scientific planning, “Communities are the first responders to ecological change. Their lived experiences are not anecdotal, they are empirical. We need to decolonize environmental knowledge.”
Legal accountability was also a central theme. Shiba Ainomugisha advocated for strategic litigation and legal mechanisms to challenge polluters and negligent states, “The law is a powerful instrument for environmental justice. Uganda must ratify international treaties, but it must also enforce them domestically. Justice delayed is destruction accelerated.”
Action Items and Forward Commitments
The Café concluded with key resolutions to:
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Advocate for Uganda’s ratification of the BBNJ Agreement
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Ensure representation of indigenous voices in climate dialogues
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Localize global climate commitments like the 30×30 biodiversity goal
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Utilize legal tools, public interest litigation, and constitutional rights to challenge environmental injustices
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Promote climate education, behavior change, and youth-led action at the grassroots level
“This dialogue has proven that Uganda’s youth are not just footnotes in the climate story—we are authors of a new chapter,” said Joanita Babirye in closing.
