Tanzanian Student Climate Summit

On 10 November 2023, UWC East Africa in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, hosted the country’s first-ever national Students Climate Summit. This summit was organised by the Tanzania’s Students Coalition on Climate which is a network of students focusing on climate and environmental issues in Tanzania, and which was founded by UWC students.

This summit was the opportunity for students from 18 schools around Tanzania to unite and discuss key environmental issues ahead of the COP28 and UNEA-6. We are honoured that Her Excellency Elizabeth Mrema, Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and Deputy Director of UNEP, was on an official UN mission to Tanzania to attend this summit. Further, Honourable Khamis, Deputy Minister of State, and the District Commissioner of Moshi, Kilimanjaro, attended our Opening Ceremony.

During this summit, in addition to side-events and booths organised, we have organised student-led working groups to get proposals from students. These groups focussed on meaningful participation, transitioning to green economies, and meeting global needs. Regarding booths, we had 6 NGOs working on conservation and environmentalism in Tanzania, and 5 groups from UWCEA (including our sustainability committee and our Coral Reefs project). For side-events, neurologist Dr Dekker held a talk on solastalgia, we had a bilateral meeting between dignitaries and UWC students, and we had a youth dialogue with dignitaries (moderated by our students).