Reported By Doose Johanna Hannu
One of the Young Digital Activists (YDA) of the Climate & Sustainable Development Network (CSDevNet), Ms Doose Johanna Hannu, participated in the Climate Justice Summer School and the African Youth Climate Assembly.
The Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA), in partnership with the University of Addis Ababa, held the two-week Nairobi Summer School on Climate Justice (Cohort IV) from August 24 to September 6, 2025 in Addis Ababa Ethiopia. The Summer School served as a cross-generational forum for sharing, learning, and networking around innovative ideas essential for broad economic transformation in the face of the climate crisis.
This year’s program brought together participants from 87 countries, both physically and virtually, fostering cultural exchange and dialogue. Participants engaged in workshops, hands-on training sessions by expert lecturers, group projects, discussions, and cultural activities, all aimed at building collective capacity and advancing climate justice.
During the Fifth International Symposium on Climate Justice, Dr. Mithika Mwenda, the Executive Director of PACJA, said, “The main objective of the school is to enhance the capacity of Africans and our allies to advance climate justice perspectives through local, national, sub-national, regional, and global interventions.”
“Through this school, we have contributed greatly to the evolving concept of climate justice, thus articulating views and narratives that could otherwise not be found in international conversations on climate change,” he added.
Following the Summer School, Ms Doose had the privilege to participate in the African Youth Climate Assembly (AYCA 2025), held from September 7–8, 2024, at the historic Adwa Victory Memorial Museum in Addis Ababa. Serving as the official youth platform for the Africa Climate Summit (ACS2), AYCA brought together young leaders, activists, and innovators from across Africa and its diaspora, uniting youth voices to influence the continent’s climate agenda.
The event was inaugurated by the Deputy Prime Minister of Ethiopia, H.E. Temesgen Tiruneh, who delivered a strong call to action.
He emphasized that “Africa may be among the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, yet it remains the most hopeful. With the majority of the population being youth, their creativity, innovation, and determination will craft the solutions of tomorrow and safeguard the future of the continent.”
He further urged governments and partners to move beyond symbolic gestures and commit to tangible investments in youth leadership and entrepreneurship.
These high-level gatherings, the Nairobi Summer School on Climate Justice, the African Youth Assembly on Climate 2025, brought together leaders, experts, decision-makers, and committed young people from across the continent. They provided spaces to reflect on and co-create solutions to the climate emergency.
Her participation in these transformative events, made possible through the support of CSDevNet, reflects my ongoing commitment to advancing climate justice and strengthening youth action for a sustainable future.