this is the moral challenge of our generation. we cannot rob our children of their future. this is...
TRANSCRIPT
This is the moral challenge of our generation. This is the moral challenge of our generation. We cannot rob our children of their future.We cannot rob our children of their future.
~ Ban Ki-Moon (December 2007)
Children are centralChildren are centralExisting vulnerabilities and climate
change
CRC | WFFC
Empowered children = protagonists for change
Recommendations
Children are Children are central… central… Many of the Many of the main killers of main killers of
children children such as malaria, diarrhoea such as malaria, diarrhoea and malnutrition are highly sensitive and malnutrition are highly sensitive to climatic conditions, threatening to climatic conditions, threatening survival and health.survival and health.
Climate change Climate change destabilizes destabilizes social and livelihood systems social and livelihood systems that that support children’s development, support children’s development, leading to worsening in leading to worsening in educational status and gender educational status and gender inequalityinequality..
Children are primary victims of Children are primary victims of natural disasters and armed conflict natural disasters and armed conflict raising raising child protection issues.child protection issues.
Today’s children and future Today’s children and future generations holdgenerations hold rights rights to survival, to survival, development and protection development and protection
Child survival worldwide and climate change
The 60 countries highlighted in red
are priority countries for UNICEF
Children are central
Existing vulnerabilities and climate changeExisting vulnerabilities and climate change
CRC | WFFC
Empowered children = protagonists for change
Recommendations
Existing and Emerging Vulnerabilities• Undernutrition is the underlying cause of at least 3.5 million deaths
annually, and more than one-third of deaths in children under five years of age.
• Malaria causes an estimated one million deaths each year – around 80 percent of which are amongst children under five -- In sub-Saharan Africa alone, more than 2,000 children under five die each day from malaria.
• Poor water, sanitation and hygiene contribute to 5.4 billion cases of diarrhea worldwide and 1.6 million deaths, mostly among children under five
• Energy poverty, associated with cooking and heating with traditional fuels on open fires or stoves, results in indoor air pollution responsible for 1.6 million deaths a year, half of which in children under five.
• In 2008 for the first time in history more than half of the world’ s children are living in urban areas, with much of the population growth occurring in informal settlements lacking basic services and frequently experiencing destruction from flooding and landslides
• The loss of life associated with natural disasters is disproportionately high among children and women
“[Climate change is] slowing progress towards the MDGs and deepening inequalities within and across countries. Left unattended, it will lead to…
…human development reversals throughout the 21st Century.”
~ HDR2007/2008
Emergency response and reconstructionEmergency response and reconstruction The UNICEF response to humanitarian crises is guided by its Core Commitments for Children in Emergencies (CCC) whose 1st principle state that:
“Children in the midst of armed conflict and natural disasters such as drought, floods and earthquakes have the same needs and rights as children in stable countries.”
Key elements of the fulfillment of these rights include:
provision of essential, life-saving and sustaining servicestemporary learning spaces and, later, support the reopening of schools and reintegration of students and teachersEnsure that family-tracing systems are implemented with appropriate care and protection facilities.Prevent sexual abuse and exploitation of children and women
Children are central
Existing vulnerabilities and climate change
CRC | WFFC
Empowered children = protagonists for change
Recommendations
The Normative Basis: Child Rights Instruments
Convention on the Rights of the Child – 1990Article 24• States parties recognize the right of the
child to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health…in particular, [they] shall take appropriate measures:
– To combat disease and undernutrition, through, inter alia, the application of readily available technology and the provision of adequate nutritious foods and clean drinking water, taking into consideration the dangers and risks of environmental pollution; …
Article 29• States parties agree that the education of
the child should be directed to the development of respect for the natural environment.
World Fit for Children - 2002
“We will give every assistance
to protect children and minimize the impact of natural disasters and environmental degradation on them” Principle # 10
Priority: Climate-Proofing Priority: Climate-Proofing CommunitiesCommunities
Determine action via rights-based analysis which includes attention to the control and distribution of natural resources; the socio-cultural organization and institutional arrangements
Target the poorest and marginalized Focus on low cost, high impact, demand-driven
interventions in health, nutrition and water to build resilience
Disseminate decentralized technologies with attention to operation and maintenance for poverty alleviation and GHG reduction
Build capacities at local and national level for leadership and responsibility (decentralization without local elite capture)
Strengthen social protection and conflict resolution mechanisms
Promote participatory approaches to community development include forest, water and energy stewardship, environmental education, disaster risk reduction and preparedness
Children are central
Existing vulnerabilities and climate change
CRC | WFFC
Empowered children = protagonists for change
Recommendations
Empowered young people: protagonists for change
““Young people are well placed to contribute to the fight even now. They are adept at spreading new habits and technologies. They are adaptable and can quickly make low-carbon lifestyles and career choices a part of their daily lives. Youth should therefore be given a chance to take an active part in the decision-making of local, national and global levels. And they can actively support initiatives that will lead to the passage of far-reaching legislation.”
~ Ban Ki-Moon World Youth Day 2008
Participation Rights in Principle and in Action
The CRC affords children non-negotiable rights to freedom of expression, to form and join associations and to seek and receive appropriate information – all aimed at empowering children and bringing about changes in their own lives.
This implies key roles for children with respect to climate change, including, contributing to shaping the policy agenda, devising and implementing solutions, and involvement in monitoring and evaluation.
children and youth conferences and coalitions are forming to engage in the debate at the international and national and local levels. A Children’s Climate Forum is planned for 2009 in Copenhagen in parallel with COP-15.
At the local level, compelling case studies indicate that children can play a crucial role in supporting disaster preparedness and recovery activities, with benefits for their own physical and mental health and that of their surroundings.