Global

NEW YORK, 20 August 2021 – Young people living in the Central African Republic, Chad, Nigeria, Guinea, and Guinea-Bissau are the most at risk of the impacts of climate change, threatening their health, education, and protection, and exposing them to deadly diseases, according to a UNICEF report launched today. ‘The Climate Crisis Is a Child Rights…

NEW YORK, 18 August 2021 – Thank you to everyone for joining us today for the launch of this important report. And a special thank you and welcome to our amazing panel of young leaders fighting for a world they will one day inherit. But it is their world now. Just this summer – all over the world – we are seeing evidence of just how imperiled this…

The climate crisis is a child rights crisis  presents the Children’s Climate Risk Index (CCRI), which uses data to generate new global evidence on how many children are currently exposed to climate and environmental hazards, shocks and stresses. A composite index, the CCRI brings together geographical data by analyzing 1.) exposure to climate and…, August 2021, The climate crisis is a child rights crisisIntroducing THE CHILDRENS CLIMATE RISK INDEX . Published by UNICEFDivision of Communication3 United Nations PlazaNew York, NY 10017, USA Contact: pubdoc@unicef.org Website: www.unicef.org Suggested citation. The Climate Crisis is a Child Rights Crisis:: Introducing the Childrens Climate Risk Index. New…

Green spaces can significantly benefit children’s physical, mental and social development - from infancy into adulthood. This paper outlines the many benefits of green spaces on children's health and development, as well as actions to improve access to green spaces. Recommended interventions focus on empowering communities to claim and maintain…

A child born today has a much better chance of reaching their fifth birthday than ever before. But climate change and environmental degradation threaten to reverse progress on child and adolescent survival, health and well-being. Children worldwide face a host of environmental hazards, like polluted air, water and food; exposure to toxic chemicals…, UNICEF's response, UNICEF’s programmes for survival, health and well-being elevate action on climate change and environmental degradation for and with young people, in response to the local burden of disease and risk factors. Our Healthy Environments for Healthy Children Global Programme Framework outlines five major actions intended to guide UNICEF country…, More from UNICEF, Resources, Children's Environmental Health Collaborative Healthy Environments for Healthy Children Global Programme Framework Healthy Environments for Healthy Children: Key messages Healthy Environments for Healthy Children YouTube Playlist Protecting children from heat stress: A technical note The Toxic Truth: Children’s exposure to lead pollution…

Today, 1.42 billion people – including 450 million children – live in areas of high or extremely high water vulnerability. Less than 3 per cent of the world’s water resources is freshwater, and it is growing increasingly scarce. Decades of misuse, poor management, over-extraction of groundwater and contamination of freshwater supplies have…

NEW YORK, 17 February 2021 – Renewing global confidence in vaccines, addressing challenges to youth mental health and wellbeing, fighting discrimination, tackling climate change, and bridging the digital divide are the biggest opportunities for children that the COVID-19 pandemic has presented the international community, UNICEF’s Executive…

COVID-19 is the first truly global crisis we have seen in our lifetime. No matter where we live, the pandemic affects every person – children most of all. Millions are missing out on basic health services, education and protection simply because they were born into poverty or because of their ethnicity, religion or race. COVID-19 has widened this…, For vaccines to work, we must build trust,   History and science tell us vaccines are the best hope we have of ending this virus and rebuilding our lives and our livelihoods. Yet, as Ridhi reminds us, there is a real risk the What you need to know about a COVID-19 vaccine COVID-19 vaccines will not reach all who need it. Vaccine hesitancy will have a profound effect on our ability to…, Bridging the digital divide can help bring quality education for all,   Kamogelo is right. During the peak of school closures in early 2020, about 30 per cent of the world’s schoolchildren were unable to access remote learning. In fact, only just over half of households in a majority of countries around the world have access to the internet. These are the same children who are already unlikely to have access to…, COVID-19 has unlocked attention on global youth mental health,   Tulika is right: mental health is a big deal – just as important as physical health. This is especially true in childhood and adolescence, when we lay the foundations for our lifelong cognitive and learning ability, our emotional intelligence and our resilience in the face of stress. Again, the pandemic has highlighted just how vulnerable…, COVID-19 does not discriminate, but our societies do,   The coronavirus pandemic has affected everyone on the planet, but it is not affecting us all equally. In too many countries, your ethnicity, your colour or your wealth, may make you more likely to suffer the consequences. For example , in the United States, African Americans represent 13 per cent of the population but roughly one fourth of COVID…, Climate change is the other planetary crisis that won’t wait,   COVID-19 has taught us that planetary problems require planetary solutions. No one suffers more from a change in climate than a child. Children are vulnerable to the changes in the air they breathe, the water they drink and the food they eat. We know children are more vulnerable to life-threatening water and food scarcity and waterborne diseases…

Addis Ababa/Brussels/New York, 22 January 2021 – Participation in decision-making, quality education, internet access and the climate crisis are among the main concerns for children and young people in Africa and Europe, according to U-Report polling data released today by UNICEF, the African Union (AU) and the European Union (EU). Almost half of…

As the impacts of climate change intensify with each passing year, more and more young people are joining the movement for positive change. By leading the discussion around climate change, they are also spreading awareness and motivating others to take action. UNICEF partnered with Fridays For Future , an organization founded by Greta Thunberg, to…, María, Mexico, Since childhood, María, 19, has seen the impacts of the climate crisis up close, especially the water crisis that runs throughout Mexico. While droughts and rising temperatures are causing forest fires, cyclones are causing flooding and harvests to be lost. To fight this, she became a full-time climate activist. She believes that the issue of…, Russell, Dominica, Russell Raymond, 17, is a reporter from the Caribbean nation of Dominica. When Hurricane Maria made landfall in September 2017, it devastated his country, submerging streets, blowing roofs off homes and schools and forcing his family to seek shelter. Since then, he has used photography to chronicle the impacts of the hurricane on the island he…, Mitzi, Philippines, Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Mitzi Jonelle Tan, an activist from Manila, has been campaigning for climate justice. As the Philippines was hit by two back-to-back hurricanes in 2020, her organization sprang into action – feeding the communities left hungry and asking them about their problems and how they felt after the storm. “This isn’t just…, Nkosi, Zimbabwe, Nkosilathi Nyathi, 17, is a UNICEF climate activist from Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. He walks us through changes he has witnessed first-hand as a result of climate change. He feels that although young people can see and feel the effects of climate change, many don’t know what’s happening and he wants to change that. “There’s no other time for acting…

Environmental hazards have been linked to a range of significant health risks for children. UNICEF is elevating action on climate change and environmental degradation for and with young people in its programmes to strengthen primary care, with a focus on prevention. The Healthy Environments for Healthy Children: Global Programme Framework aims to…

The effects of climate change are already being felt everywhere. Most strikingly, they are felt through water. Increased demand for water due to low rainfall can cause water sources (including boreholes and springs) to run dry. Conversely, heavy rainfall and flooding can damage water sources and sanitation facilities, carry runoff and waste into…, In Djibouti, water is as precious as it is scarce. Since the drought started in 2007, rainfall has dramatically reduced and water levels in traditional wells have dropped forcing women and children to walk long distances for water. Water scarcity, Water scarcity is the lack of available water to meet the demands of a specific population, caused by climatic factors, human factors or both. Almost two thirds of the world’s population experiences severe water scarcity during at least one month of the year. Learn more, In South Sudan, UNICEF transformed an unprotected spring into a safe water source through the construction of a reservoir and treatment system and used solar systems to pump the water to tapstands, where the water is collected safely. Solar-powered water systems, Solar-powered water systems provide families with a higher quality of water while helping to reduce carbon emissions. These systems are a climate-resilient alternative that can mitigate the impact of extreme weather events and declining water levels. Learn more, Resources, WASH Climate Resilience – Compendium of cases WASH Climate Resilience – Compendium of cases Accountability in WASH: Explaining the concept Accountability in WASH: Explaining the concept Programming for Sustainability in Water Services – A framework Programming for Sustainability in Water Services – A framework 2008 UNICEF Handbook on Water Quality…, UNICEF’s response, UNICEF brings decades of experience in water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) programmes to countries affected by climate change. We work tirelessly to protect children from the effects of droughts, floods, storms, rising sea levels, increased competition for water, and climate-related health impacts. In 40 countries, we are reducing greenhouse gas…