The Future We Owe Them: Reflections from COP30

Mclarence Mandaza, World Vision’s Technical Lead for Environment Sustainability and Climate Action, reflects on COP30 and challenges leaders to see the climate emergency through children’s eyes.

December 15, 2025.

The Amazon heat pressed down at COP30, a stark reminder of the world we are hurtling towards. Amid the noise, spectacle and negotiation fatigue, one truth cut through: children are already paying the heaviest price for a crisis they did not create.

Yet COP30 offered another, subtler revelation. A rising cohort of young climate advocates exposed the blind spots in our response, demanding that their experiences shape action. Their courage unsettled the room, compelling even seasoned delegates to listen differently.

Children at the Centre, or Merely Nearby?

It could be said that youth participation is now expected at global climate forums, the presence of five World Vision child and youth delegates felt distinctly different. Their voices did not echo from the sidelines. They redefined the space.

Take sixteen-year-old Mudasana from Zambia. Slight in stature but immense in resolve, she delivered her interventions with a precision that left even seasoned negotiators pausing. When Zambia’s Minister of Green Economy publicly affirmed her role and insisted that any climate fight ignoring children is “not a real fight”, the room shifted. One might contend that statements like this often drift into symbolism, yet her week proved otherwise.

She addressed a World Vision panel alongside government leaders from Zambia and Malawi, demanding child-centred policies and stronger social protection. She engaged with the Youth Negotiators Academy where she dissected the mechanics of global diplomacy. She joined press briefings on ecological governance and plunged into climate education sessions at the UN Brasil Pavilion. Rarely has such youthful conviction been so clearly grounded in lived experience.

Her message was clear “Children do not simply deserve inclusion. They elevate the discourse. They force a reckoning with the real human cost of inaction”. Mudasana, 16, from Zambia.

The Finance Breakthrough We Dare Not Waste

Central to this year’s negotiations was the launch of the Fund Responding to Loss and Damage, with an initial USD 250 million committed. While persuasive, the celebration around this announcement overlooks an uncomfortable truth: children lose the most when disasters strike. Their nutrition, education and physical safety erode first.

If the fund is to be anything more than a symbolic gesture, governments must ensure children sit at the heart of investment decisions. The evidence is stark. One billion children now live in extremely high-risk climate environments. Hunger linked to climate shocks could rise by 20% by 2050. Central to this claim is an assumption that systems will somehow keep pace with escalating risks, an assumption warranting far greater scrutiny.

Partnerships That Can Transform Futures

Our bilateral with the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo was a rare moment of genuine alignment. Instead of rehearsed talking points, the dialogue opened space for mutual ambition. We explored support for the DRC’s upcoming Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC 3.0), pressing for a future where child-focused resilience is not decorative but foundational.

We aligned on restoration priorities, building on World Vision’s pledge to restore 27 million hectares by 2033. Our current climate programme in the DRC already reaches 62,000 households with over USD 3.4 million invested last year. To a certain extent, these figures speak for themselves, yet more importantly, they hint at what real collaboration could unlock.

A Region That Refuses to Look Away

Across Southern Africa, delegations voiced a consistent refrain: communities are adapting with courage, but they cannot stand alone against intensifying shocks. In our meeting with the Africa Group Negotiation Chairperson, we stressed two urgent needs.

First, the integration of hunger and malnutrition solutions into NDCs, an argument underscored by our Hungry Futures Index which exposes how climate pressures are fuelling hunger. Second, the call for an IPCC Special Report on Children and Climate Change. Scientific clarity matters. Without it, children remain footnotes in global strategy rather than central figures.

What We Owe the Next Generation

Right now, 1 billion children live in extremely high-risk climate conditions, and climate-driven hunger could rise by 20% by 2050 if the world does not act with urgency and unity. Reflecting on COP30, it is not the technical documents or official statements that stay with me. It is the faces of children who refuse to give up, carrying the crisis in their daily lives yet insisting the world can do better.

If we are serious about safeguarding children’s futures, the path is clear. Governments, partners and all stakeholders with influence must place children at the heart of climate policy, funding and action. If you hold power, use it. If you shape policy, prioritise children. If you influence decisions, act urgently. 

The climate crisis is rewriting childhood in real time. It is up to us to rewrite the ending.

Mclarence Mandaza is World Vision’s Technical Lead for Environment Sustainability and Climate Action. With a strong background in rural development, food security, and climate adaptation, he brings deep expertise in agriculture extension and livelihoods. He holds a PhD in Governance and Regional Integration, focused on climate change adaptation, from the Pan African University Institute for Governance, Humanities and Social Sciences (PAUGHSS).