Kumar Bahukhandi
Terre des hommes (Tdh) India, a child rights organisation that has deepened its understanding of how climate change affects children by actively listening to young people in the Sundarbans region and in Jharkhand, organised Children and Climate 2025 on 11th December 2025, at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi. Insights from these communities helped Tdh recognise the direct link between environmental stress and the fulfilment of children’s rights. The event convened donors, researchers, practitioners, youth speakers, and policymakers for an in-depth dialogue on how climate change is rapidly emerging as one of the most urgent child-rights challenges of our time.
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Children and Climate 2025 conference organised by Terre des hommes (India)
In India, the impact of climate change is accelerating, with over 85% of districts exposed to recurring extreme climate events such as heatwaves, floods, and cyclones. These shocks directly affect children’s nutrition, education, protection, mental health, and long-term development.
At the Children and Climate conference, participants explored these intersections through an integrated, child-sensitive lens. Discussions focused on designing climate programmes that strengthen social protection systems, embed child-sensitive health responses, and support families facing climate-induced migration. Manavi Bhardwaj from India Climate Collaborative, Sarbjit Singh Sahota from UNICEF India, Harini Kannan from J-Pal, Pragya Vats from IPE Global, and Dr. Sudeshna Chatterjee from WRI were some of the panelists. The event also amplified community voices, highlighting how local experiences must inform larger climate-resilience frameworks.
The conference structure drew from the project cycle management approach, enabling a step-by-step examination of how child-centred climate interventions should be planned, financed, implemented, and evaluated. Panel discussions and breakout sessions encouraged funders, practitioners, and researchers to collectively identify gaps, share evidence, propose innovative financing models, and understand the practical challenges of mainstreaming climate considerations into existing child-focused programmes.
Speaking at the event, Anindit Roy Chowdhury, Multi-country Director (India & Nepal), Terre des hommes, said, “Children are not merely victims of the climate crisis, they are essential actors in shaping resilient and inclusive futures. Yet the systems meant to support them still respond in fragments. Climate risks intersect with health, protection, and migration in a child’s life, and our solutions must reflect that. Through this convening, we aim to strengthen the collective resolve to design truly integrated programmes that prioritise children’s rights, safety, and well-being”.
Children and Climate 2025 reinforced the need for multi-sectoral partnerships and sustained cooperation across development, climate, and social systems. Tdh India reaffirmed its commitment to advancing integrated solutions that safeguard children in India’s most climate-vulnerable contexts, and to collaborating with stakeholders to shape a more inclusive, resilient future for every child.
About Terre des hommes (Tdh) India
Terre des hommes (Tdh) India is a leading child-rights organisation working to strengthen health, protection and resilience systems for vulnerable children, youth and communities across high-risk geographies. With a deep focus on digital innovation, climate-resilient child protection, safe mobility and maternal and child health, Tdh collaborates closely with government departments, frontline workers, and community institutions to drive long-term structural change. Since 2016, Tdh India has reached more than 500,000 children, families, and community members, advancing safer childhoods, stronger systems, and equitable access to care and opportunity.
