Climate change

The world is at a tipping point. By 2030, half of the global population is expected to be living in water-stressed conditions. Competition for water resources will only intensify with increasing urbanization, population growth and the threat of climate change. As a result, we can expect more conflict, displacement and public health emergencies. No…, Take #WaterAction, Know the facts Governments and partners Donors and supporters UNICEF at UN 2023 Water Conference, Know the facts, Water insecurity threatens the well-being of children and their very survival. Click through for the facts:, Health and nutrition, Every day, over 1,000 children under five die from diseases linked to unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene, including diarrhoea and acute respiratory infections. When children get sick with diarrhoeal diseases, they are unable to absorb the nutrients they need to grow, exacerbating malnutrition. Over time this can lead to stunting and may…, Education, When schools do not have adequate water, children are ill-equipped for learning, studying and practicing safe hygiene like handwashing. Students are also more likely to fall ill. They may even be forced to miss school entirely to collect water for their families. And without access to separate hygiene and sanitation facilities, girls may skip…, Safety, Carrying heavy loads of water places a great physical burden on children, and places them in harm’s way when they are forced to walk long distances to water sources. This is especially true for girls, as the task of collecting water most often falls on them., Displacement, Without safe water and sanitation, tensions escalate and give rise to conflict and displacement. In areas of protracted crises, children are 20 times more likely to die from diarrhoeal disease linked to unsafe water and sanitation than from violence. >>See:  Children are facing deadly drought in the Horn of Africa > Back to menu, How governments can take #WaterAction, The only way to ensure all children have access to safe, sustainable water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) is by strengthening all components of WASH services and by making them resilient to the growing impacts of climate change. Governments play a central role in urgently adapting and scaling up WASH services. The solutions to water insecurity are…, #WaterAction: Donors and supporters, UNICEF aims to urgently mobilize an additional $330m from public and private partners to accelerate sector reforms in 65 priority countries and to reach at least 6 million people living in areas facing severe water insecurity.  The private sector must come together to solve the water challenges alongside governments, NGOs and affected communities…, United Nations Water Conference 2023, UNICEF was there representing every child > Back to top

As prepared for delivery "Good morning. "I’ve come in from UNICEF’s regional office in West and Central Africa to warn about a rapidly accelerating crisis for children on Europe’s doorstep. "Ten million children in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger are in dire need of humanitarian assistance largely due to spiralling conflict, while nearly 4 million…

GENEVA/DAKAR/NEW YORK, 17 March 2023 –Ten million children in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger are in dire need of humanitarian assistance – twice as many as in 2020 – largely due to spiralling conflict, while nearly 4 million children are at risk in neighbouring countries as hostilities between armed groups and national security forces spill across…

Safe water is essential to life itself. Proper sanitation and hygiene prevent the spread of disease and infection, and ensure human dignity. Without these essential services, the most basic needs of children’s lives are unmet. Globally, 600 million children still lack safely managed drinking water, 1.1 billion lack safely managed sanitation and…

Ten million children in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger are in dire need of humanitarian assistance – twice as many as in 2020 – largely due to spiralling conflict, while nearly 4 million children are at risk in neighbouring countries as hostilities between armed groups and national security forces spill across borders. 'Extreme Jeopardy' looks at…, Benin. Two brothers sit outside their home in Tanguieta, northern Benin. Two brothers sit outside their home in Tanguieta, northern Benin., What’s happening in the central Sahel? , Caught between armed groups, national security operations and intercommunal violence children are finding themselves directly targeted by non-state armed groups who operate across large areas of the region. 2022 was a particularly violent year for children in the central Sahel, almost certainly the deadliest since armed conflict broke out in…, The crisis is marked by attacks on infrastructure…, Burkina Faso. A girl drinks water from a tap at a playground in Burkina Faso. A girl drinks water from a tap at a playground in Burkina Faso. In Burkina Faso, attacks include sabotaging water networks – cutting power lines and destroying generators or electrical panels at pumping stations that feed urban water supply systems – and damaging manual…, …and education, Niger. A boy writes on a chalkboard in Niger. A boy writes on a chalkboard in Niger. Some armed groups that oppose state-administered education burn and loot schools, and threaten, abduct or kill teachers. By 2022, more than 8,300 schools had shut down across the central Sahel because they were directly targeted, teachers had fled, or because…, A changing climate is layering one crisis on top of another, Côte d'Ivoire. Women and children collect water in Tougbo, in the north of Côte d’Ivoire. Women and children collect water in Tougbo, in the north of Côte d’Ivoire. The central Sahel is one of the most climate-affected and water-scarce regions on the planet. Temperatures are rising 1.5 times faster than the global average. Water tables have…, It’s time to turn the page, Burkina Faso. A child waves at site for internally displaced persons. A child waves at a site for internally displaced children and families in Barsalogho, in the north central region of Burkina Faso. UNICEF urges governments across the central Sahel and affected coastal countries, along with technical and financial partners, to prioritize…, How UNICEF is helping, Burkina Faso. A boy walks into a school in Kaya, in the north central region of Burkina Faso. A boy walks into a school in Kaya, in the north central region of Burkina Faso. UNICEF has a large operational footprint in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, with almost 600 staff members working across the three national offices and 12 sub-offices, including…, Ten million children in the central Sahel need humanitarian assistance amid spiralling conflict and punishing climate. U NIC EF/ UN 05 381 08 /Ke ta EXTREME JEOPARDY UNICEF | CHILD ALERT | March 2023 BeninGhana TogoCte dIvoire BurkinaFaso NigerMali EXTREME JEOPARDY: TEN MILLION CHILDREN IN THE CENTRAL SAHEL NEED HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE AMID…

The climate crisis is a child rights’ crisis. It is a direct threat to a child’s ability to survive, grow, and thrive. Children and young people are the least responsible for climate change, and yet will bear the greatest burden of its impacts, especially in Least Developed Countries (LDCs). To avert the worst impacts of the climate crisis for…

ISLAMABAD, 9 January 2023 – More than four months after a national state of emergency was declared in Pakistan, up to 4 million children are still living near contaminated and stagnant flood waters, risking their survival and wellbeing, UNICEF warned today. Acute respiratory infections among children, a leading cause of child mortality worldwide,…

The effects of water scarcity on business, people and the planet are interlinked. Securing an adequate supply of clean water despite the damage inflicted by climate change is one of the world’s most urgent challenges. Individual corporate initiatives are not enough. Water scarcity is a complex systemic problem and requires a three-pronged climate…

COTONOU, 19 December 2022 - UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Angélique Kidjo returned to her home country Bénin last week to meet children and young people impacted by the spillover of violence from the Sahel crisis, and climate change in the region.   The deteriorating security situation in Burkina Faso, Nigeria, and Niger, as well as rising food…

UNICEF’s Youth-led Action against Climate Change Programme supports young climate change advocates to influence national and sub-national climate change related policies. This case study describes results achieved by UNICEF in India’s Maharashtra state on awareness and advocacy by a youth led movement called Maha Youth for Climate Action.

UNICEF conducted a U-Report survey to assess young people’s views on climate change ahead of the 27th United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP 27). This infographic highlights responses from more than 17,000 adolescent girls (aged 14-19) across 29 U-Report programme countries and the U-Report global platform. U-Report is a messaging tool…

NEW YORK, 21 November 2022  – “From the start, COP27 – also dubbed the ‘Africa COP’ – was billed as a moment for world leaders to come ‘together for implementation’. While progress was made, it was not nearly enough. “The fact that COP27 did not result in agreement on a more ambitious, accelerated energy transition to keep the 1.5 degree…