Children walk in Lake Alhajuela during the summer drought, in the Colon province, 50 km north of Panama City, Panama, on April 21, 2023. (PHOTO / AFP)
UNITED NATIONS – Climate change funding woefully neglects children, putting more than 1 billion youngsters at extremely high risk, according to a new report of children's advocates released on Thursday.
Only 2.4 percent of key global climate funds can be classified as supporting child-responsive activities despite the fact that children bear the brunt of the climate crisis, according to the report from members of the Children's Environmental Rights Initiative (CERI) coalition as well as Plan International, Save the Children, and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
UNICEF's Children's Climate Risk Index shows that more than 1 billion children are at extremely high risk of the impacts of the climate crisis.
Children's unique physiology, behavioral characteristics and developmental needs, particularly between birth and the age of 5, render them disproportionately vulnerable to impacts such as water and food scarcity, vector- and water-borne diseases, and physical and psychological trauma linked to both extreme weather events and slow-onset processes, the report showed, "Falling short: addressing the climate finance gap for children."
The report from members of the Children's Environmental Rights Initiative (CERI) coalition as well as Plan International, Save the Children, and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), highlighted that when it comes to children, they are often viewed as a vulnerable group rather than being recognized as active stakeholders or agents of change
Climate change impacts also disrupt children's access to basic social services that are essential for their development and well-being, such as education, health, safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene, and child and social protection services. Climate-related disasters also contribute to increasing the incidence of child labor, child marriage and forced migration, placing children at risk of human trafficking, gender-based violence, abuse and exploitation, according to the report.
ALSO READ: UN: Two-thirds of 1.2m polled call climate change 'global emergency'
The report used a set of three criteria to assess if climate finance from key multilateral climate funds serving the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and Paris Agreement were supporting child-responsive activities: addressing the distinct and heightened risks children experience from the climate crisis, strengthening the resilience of child-critical social services, and empowering children as agents of change.
The report found that out of all the money given by multilateral climate funds for climate-related projects over a period of 17 years until March 2023, only 2.4 percent, or $1.2 billion, met all three of the requirements.
The report also showed that this number likely reflects an overestimate.
The report highlighted that when it comes to children, they are often viewed as a vulnerable group rather than being recognized as active stakeholders or agents of change. Less than 4 percent of projects give explicit and meaningful consideration to the needs and involvement of girls.
READ MORE: UN chief wants worldwide 'state of climate emergency’
The report called for efforts to scale up child- and gender-responsive climate finance; bolster child-responsive approaches in climate finance policies, strategies, plans and guidance; and increase child-responsive climate finance capacity-building, coordination and partnerships.
