NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 1- Children in Africa are among the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change, but they are continuously neglected by the critical climate financial resources necessary to help them adapt, survive, and respond to the climate crisis.
According to a UNICEF report released Friday, Time to Act: African children in the climate change spotlight, children in 48 out of 49 African countries assessed are categorized as at high or extremely high risk of the impacts of climate change.
The analysis assesses countries based on children’s exposure to climate and environmental shocks, such as cyclones and heatwaves, as well as their vulnerability to those shocks, based on their access to essential services.
Children living in the Central African Republic, Chad, Nigeria, Guinea, Somalia and Guinea-Bissau are the most at risk.
In response to this increased risk to children, the report examines how multilateral climate funds (MCF) are targeting their resources.
Just 2.4 per cent of this key global climate funding can be classified as supporting child-responsive activities, with an average value of just $71 million per year.
If the target group is increased to include youth, the figure rises to just 6.6 per cent of total MCF spending.
“It is clear that the youngest members of African society are bearing the brunt of the harsh effects of climate change,” Lieke van de Wiel, Deputy Director, UNICEF Eastern and Southern Africa region, said.
“They are the least able to cope, due to physiological vulnerability and poor access to essential social services. We need to see a stronger focusing of funding towards this group, so they are equipped to face a lifetime of climate-induced disruptions.”
Children are more vulnerable than adults to the effects of climate and environmental shocks and stresses.
They are physically less able to withstand and survive hazards such as floods, droughts, storms and heatwaves and are physiologically more vulnerable to toxic substances such as lead and other forms of pollution.
Despite substantial progress made by nearly all countries in the provision of essential services, persistent challenges contribute to an increased vulnerability for children, including limited access to good quality health and nutrition services, a lack of safe water, sanitation and hygiene, limited access to quality education and high levels of poverty.
The report reveals a strong correlation between countries with poor rankings on health, nutrition, WASH services and those ranking high or extremely high on the Children’s Climate Risk Index, highlighting how vulnerable children are to the impacts of climate change
UNICEF and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) are working together on an increasing number of projects that demonstrate how communities across Africa can become more resilient as they adapt to the impacts of a changing climate.
UNEP, UNICEF and the International Labour Organization (ILO), are working together with young people, governments, employers’ and workers’ organizations, and the private sector to design and implement the Green Jobs for Youth Pact.
The Pact aims to develop 1 million new green jobs, transform 1 million existing jobs, and help 10,000 young green entrepreneurs start their businesses by 2030.
On her part, Rose Mwebaza, Regional Director for Africa for UNEP said that the African youth are experiencing the worst effects of climate change despite the continent being less responsible for the devastating effects of climate change.
Mwebaza stated that a time had come for a radical increase in investment in a sustainable future for young Africans in order to adequately address the climate change effects.
“Young people have done the least to change the climate and, in Africa, are on the receiving end of its worst effects,” she said.
“We are working to support countries to adapt and build resilience in a rapidly changing climate through nature-based solutions, as well as investing in young people with the green skills and mindsets to support this urgent transition.”
