🌍 TdH NL at the 3rd International Conference on Child Protection (ICCP) – Africa
From 5–7 November 2025, Terre des Hommes Netherlands (TdH NL), together with our project participants, took part in the 3rd International Conference on Child Protection (ICCP) – Africa, held at the Kenya School of Government in Nairobi.
Hosted by the Government of Kenya in collaboration with the Joining Forces partners — Terre des Hommes Netherlands, Save the Children, ChildFund Alliance, Plan International, SOS Children’s Villages, and World Vision — the conference brought together government representatives, UN agencies, experts, academics, and children under the theme “Child Protection and Climate Change.”
ICCP 2025 provided a continental platform to share evidence, showcase innovations, and strengthen collective action to safeguard children from climate-related risks and build a resilient, child-safe future.
💬 Insights from TdH NL Experts
Ms. Lillian Mutuku, Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) Officer at TdH NL, presented on “Climate Change as a Frontline Driver of Child Vulnerability.”
She highlighted findings from a TdH NL and Strategies for Northern Development (SND) study showing how drought and loss of livelihoods in Northern Kenya are driving child trafficking, unsafe migration, and other protection risks. Her session underscored the need for:
- Stronger climate-resilient child protection systems
- Early warning mechanisms
- Household vulnerability assessments
- Increased community awareness
Fisehatsion Afework Laeke, Global Child Protection in Emergencies (CPiE) Expert at TdH NL, based in Ethiopia, presented on “Drought, Displacement, and Child Exploitation: Climate Change Impacts on Pastoralist Communities at the Kenya–Ethiopia Border.”
He emphasised the urgent need for child-centred approaches that integrate climate adaptation, education, and gender-transformative strategies especially in pastoralist regions where climate shocks disrupt livelihoods and heighten vulnerabilities.
👧🏾👦🏾 Children at the Centre
Children participating in the conference raised their voices strongly, calling on governments, civil society, and communities to ensure that climate action places children’s protection and wellbeing at the forefront. Their messages echoed a clear truth: children are not just beneficiaries — they are key actors in shaping climate-resilient futures.
✊🏾 A Collective Call to Action
A powerful message resonated throughout ICCP 2025:
This conference must be more than an event it must be a sustained commitment to protecting and upholding children’s rights in a changing climate.
Terre des Hommes Netherlands remains committed to working with partners, communities, and children to build systems that protect every child, even in the face of climate crisis.
