Nairobi/Geneva, 5 July 2021 - The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), Africa Region is calling on its partners to do more to protect children amid increasing vulnerabilities due to climate related disasters. This call comes ahead of the upcoming Africa Dialogue/Anticipatory Action event.
Mohammed Mukhier, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies’ (IFRC) Regional Director for Africa said:
Six in 10 people will be living in cities by 2030. This is concerning. Cities are responsible for over 70% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Yet cities can also do a lot to mitigate climate change and help people adapt to its impacts. Cities can use renewable energy sources, promote greener transport, and get industries to cut pollution and adopt cleaner production techniques. Also, they can form or use existing networks and partnerships to strengthen these efforts.
Almost 1 billion children – nearly half of the world’s children – live in countries that are at extremely high risk of climate change impacts. Climate change has direct and indirect impacts on children’s rights to health, life, dignity and education. Also, climate change increases the risk of exposure to violence against children. Climate-induced disasters displaces people, and limits access to schools, adequate water and nutrition. UNICEF has drawn attention to the fact that “the climate crisis is a child rights crisis”.
Heavy floods because of climate change in sub-Sahara Africa have forced thousands of children from school or caused a delay to the start of the academic year, according to a NGO on Friday.
Save the Children urged governments “to step up repair work on schools and provide temporary classrooms for children who had to flee so that they do not fall behind even further following the devastating impact of COVID-19 on their education”
Floods have left families and children displaced and left classrooms destroyed.
