Whenever we face a situation of danger or life-threatening circumstances, and emergency, the immediate response is “save the children first.” A historical code of conduct used in shipwrecks, guided by a very basic acknowledgement of children’s vulnerability in emergency scenarios. But that is not what we have seen at the UNFCCC.
With 32 years of delay, the UNFCCC has finally addressed the disproportionate impact of the climate crisis on children through a GST decision for an Expert Dialogue on Children and Climate Change. Calling on experts from around the world, the Dialogue was held at this SB60 session. However, one fundamental group of Experts was missing from this Dialogue: Children. Only one child was officially invited and two others were present during the day. On the positive side, 62 Parties were present and called for a decision to mainstream child rights in climate negotiations.
Although COP is not a fun and safe space for children (yet), we have to address the elephant in the room: – children represent one-third of the population and half of the world’s poor, with 75 % of them living in the Global South. Unicef Deputy Executive Director Kitty van der Heijden reminds us that children are not mini-adults. Due to their unique physical, metabolic and developmental needs, they are the most vulnerable and the most excluded, as well. On the same planet where one billion children are facing extreme climate risk, only 2.4 % of climate finance from global climate funds are child-responsive.
Since 2020, more than 62 million children have had their education disrupted by climate shocks. It is estimated that more than one in four deaths of children under 5 years old is related to environmental risks. Accordingly, the issues of health and education were present in many interventions in the Dialogue. A challenge panelists expressed was the lack of afro-descendent, gender and age disaggregated data. This has one very clear implication: we do not know the full extent of the damage on children’s lives.
Francisco Vera, who is 14 years old and has been an activist since the age of 9, the expert of all experts present (a child), is very clear in his asks:
- Parties have to provide safe spaces for children to fight for their rights with accessible spaces for them and their caregivers, child-sensitive language in different negotiation streams, and child-friendly explainers (which, truth be told, we would all benefit from).
- We need the financial negotiations to put children first. If money is the lifeboat saving us from this wrecked ship, let us prioritise those most vulnerable. This means investing in the adaptation of child-centred services and infrastructure and in the regeneration of children’s well-being.
- Finally, we need a strong commitment to mitigation. Children will face a four-fold increase in extreme events. Adaptation is not enough for those whose lives have already been disrupted. Let us guarantee resilience without letting go of mitigation strategies.
The three child representatives in the dialogue, Francisco, Mariam and Benjamin, are not the future. They are right here, right now, roaming the same corridors as you. Children and young people need action now. We all need a COP for Children.