Climate change and impacts

NEW YORK, 23 June 2022 — Almost 8 million children under 5 in 15 crisis-hit countries are at risk of death from severe wasting unless they receive immediate therapeutic food and care – with the number rising by the minute, UNICEF warned today as world leaders prepare to meet at the G7 summit.   Since the start of the year, the escalating global…

Virtually every child on earth is already affected by climate change, environmental degradation and biodiversity loss. Action is falling short, which means that the impacts upon children and young people will worsen in the coming decades. Children will bear the brunt of impacts, particularly those in communities that have contributed the least to…

Goal Area 4 of the 2018-2021 UNICEF Strategic Plan encompasses four results areas: (1) WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene), (2) disaster risk reduction, resilience strengthening and peacebuilding, (3) urban programming and local governance, and (4) climate, energy and the environment. Good progress was made across all of these areas despite the…, UNICEF set its most ambitious WASH target ever for the 2018–2021 Strategic Plan: to reach 60 million people with water and sanitation services in their communities through direct support. The target was achieved, an exceptional result given the operational challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. GARR2021-Goal-are-4-figure-1 Number of additional…, girl-drinking-water Disaster risk reduction, resilience strengthening and peacebuilding, UNICEF helps to reduce the risk of disasters and strengthen resilience in the countries where it works, investing more than US$250 million across 150 countries over the 2018-2021 period. In 2021, UNICEF helped strengthen early warning systems in 27 countries, supported the updating of 44 preparedness plans and provided risk-assessment support for…, children-filling-water-can Urban programming and local governance, Over the four-year Strategic Plan period, UNICEF expanded its engagement in local governance and urban programming in response to increasing inequities within countries and deepening deprivations that affect children in their communities. UNICEF supported urban-specific interventions in over 100 countries globally and has engaged with 3,845…, youth-planting-tree Climate, energy and the environment, The climate and environment crisis is a crisis for children, threatening their development and their very existence. In 2021, UNICEF released the Children’s Climate Risk Index, the first global atlas of climate and environmental risk from a child right’s perspective, showing that almost every child is now exposed to at least one climate or…, smiling-girl-holding-water-can Looking forward, The new UNICEF 2022-2025 Strategic Plan defines how UNICEF will contribute to child-related SDGs over the next four years, defining the pathways to achieve an inclusive recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and, ultimately, the realization of a society in which every child is included and has agency, opportunity and their rights…, Read more and support our work, June 2022, Global Annual Results Report 2021 GOAL AREA 4 Every child lives in a safe and clean environment Cover image: UNICEF/UN0560201/Dubourthoumieu Souza Mbomba, 19 years old, draws water from a new spring-sourced water system developed with the support of UNICEF in Mutonji district, Kasai Oriental province, the Democratic Republic of the Congo.…

FLORENCE/NEW YORK, 24 May 2022 – The majority of wealthy countries are creating unhealthy, dangerous and noxious conditions for children across the world, according to the latest Report Card published today by UNICEF Office of Research - Innocenti. Innocenti Report Card 17: Places and Spaces compares how 39 countries in the Organisation for…

The increasing frequency and severity of disaster events — exacerbated by an accelerating climate crisis, environmental degradation and lagging risk governance systems — means that children and young people need immediate action to build resilience.   In response, UNICEF and its partners are committed to integrating child-centred DRR (CCDRR) and…

For the 7th 2022 Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, we are sharing an advocacy brief to alert on the disproportionate impacts from disasters and climate change on children and young people. In response, we are calling for bold, urgent and inclusive disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation (CCA) action for and with all…

Children are the most vulnerable during and after any disaster. Approximately one billion children worldwide are at extremely high risk due to climate impacts, including climate-related disasters. When disaster strikes, children get cut off from schooling, nutrition and health care. They can lose critical social services and protection, while…, Every child resilient, Children and young people are more than victims of disasters. They have an active role to play in reducing risk, in collaboration with governments and humanitarians. They bring critical skills, individual experiences and ideas for solutions.  Integrating child-specific interventions into disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change policies –…, UNICEF’s response, The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015-2030 ) outlines clear targets and priorities to prevent and reduce disaster risks. Building the resilience of children and young people is vital to meet these targets and those of other global agreements. UNICEF's DRR approach is part of the https://www.unicef.org/documents/liveable-planet-…, Ensuring child-critical services are more inclusive, and resilient to and prepared for disasters, UNICEF integrates disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation activities into essential services for children. We do so by bringing resources, advocacy and technical expertise into our collaborations with governments and other partners – and most importantly, with children and young people themselves.   We are a leading agency in…, Engaging children through education, preparedness and resilience programmes, Children are already playing an active role in reducing disaster and climate risk by developing risk assessments, early warning systems, community-based actions, school evacuation protocols and recovery plans. They also stand as advocates, raising awareness through social media and in-person campaigns. UNICEF supports children and young people to…, Committing funds and resources to prepare and protect all children from disasters and climate impacts, UNICEF builds government and partner capacities, provides technical expertise for safe schools and health-care facilities, and secures investments for the rapid recovery of child-critical services after a disaster. We invest in specific, localized data collection and share our technical expertise to shape and influence policies for children.…, Resources, Publisher Title UNICEF Every child prepared, engaged, safe and resilient UNICEF UNICEF DRR in Action: Every country protected; every child resilient UNICEF UNICEF environment and climate change efforts UNICEF Strengthening shock responsive social protection systems UNICEF Guidance for risk-informed programming (GRIP) UNICEF Risk-informed education…

The UNICEF Strategic Plan, 2022–2025, sets out the global, concrete results that UNICEF aims to achieve for children. The work will be conducted in close collaboration with partners in the United Nations, with governments, civil society and the private sector. The new Strategic Plan includes a number of shifts being made in UNICEF’s WASH…

GENEVA, 8 February 2022 - "The situation of children and families in the Horn of Africa is dire. They are desperate. Millions of lives are hanging in the balance.  "The needs are massive and urgent, and they are quickly outpacing the available funds to respond. We need to act now to prevent a catastrophe. "UNICEF projects that up to 20 million…

MAPUTO, 27 January 2022 – UNICEF is deploying staff and preparing medical and nutrition supplies, water, sanitation and hygiene kits, as well as setting up temporary learning spaces to support children and families affected by Tropical Storm Ana, which made landfall on central and northern Mozambique on 24 January. More than 45,000 people,…

DHIFFUSHI, Maldives – “When there are floods, we take our shoes and socks off and put them in our school bags,” says Fathimath. “We have to wade through the water to our classrooms.” Fathimath’s school is on a small island about a 45-minute boat ride from Male, the capital of Maldives – and just 30 metres from the ocean. The only thing protecting…

This is a summary of what was said by Gautam Narasimhan, UNICEF Global Lead for Climate, Energy and Environment – to whom quoted text may be attributed – on COP26 and the impact of climate change on children, at today's (Tuesday 2 November) press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.    GENEVA, 2 November 2021 - "2021 is expected to be one…