UNICEF In Sunamganje, Bangladesh, girls wade through floodwaters on their way to school.
A new report released today by the Children's Environmental Rights Initiative (CERI) coalition finds that while children bear the brunt of the climate crisis, climate finance commitments do not take children into account.
The Children's Environmental Rights Initiative is a coalition of children and young people, activists, children's rights organizations, experts, government actors and policymakers from around the world working for the recognition and realization of children's fundamental rights to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment. UNICEF is a member of the Alliance.
According to the report, Falling Short: Addressing the Climate Finance Gap for Children, only 2.4% of the world's major climate funds are used to support activities that promote children. UNICEF's Child Climate Risk Index shows that more than 1 billion children are at very high risk of the impacts of the climate crisis.
Maria Marshall, a 13-year-old UNICEF child advocate and climate activist from Barbados, said: "Children are the future, but our future depends on the actions of decision-makers now, and children's voices are not heard. As this report shows, funding climate solutions is an obligation, but how that money is used is also important and must incorporate children's needs and perspectives. ”
Climate finance for children is inadequate
The study assesses the major multilateral climate funds serving the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement in three areas. First, whether to address the unique and rising risks that children face in the climate crisis; second, whether to strengthen the resilience of social services vital to children; Third, whether to empower children as agents of change.
As of March 2023, only a fraction (2.4%) of all the funding provided by the Multilateral Climate Fund for climate-related projects over the past 17 years met all three requirements, totalling just US$1.2 billion, according to the report. The report also notes that this figure could also be inflated, meaning there could be less money that meets all requirements.
The report highlights that while the Multilateral Climate Fund has a relatively small share of overall climate finance, the extent to which they take into account children is important. The Multilateral Climate Fund plays an important role in setting the agenda and facilitating and coordinating investments by other public and private financial institutions, including at the country level, and is necessary to drive broader change.
Child rights crisis
Children are particularly vulnerable to water and food scarcity, waterborne diseases and physical and psychological trauma, all linked to extreme weather events and slow-onset climate impacts. There is also evidence that changing weather patterns are disrupting children's access to basic services such as education, health care and clean drinking water.
"Every child is exposed to at least one or more climate hazards," said Paloma Escudero, UNICEF's Special Adviser on Climate Advocacy. Funding to adapt critical social services, such as health and water, to climate change is far from adequate, and the urgent and unique needs of children are largely neglected. This must change. The climate crisis is also a child rights crisis, and climate finance must reflect this. ”
The report highlights that children are often seen as vulnerable rather than as active stakeholders or agents of change. Less than 4% of projects explicitly and meaningfully consider girls' needs and participation, accounting for only 7% of the MDF's investment ($2.58 billion).
Voices from children
The report also takes into account the voices of children around the world. They say they face more risks due to climate change. A young girl in Zimbabwe said, "Some girls can't swim across flooded rivers to go to school or home, but boys can." The girls had to walk 10 to 15 kilometers to reach the school, and they were tired before classes started. ”
A 13-year-old boy from Bangladesh added, "Large-scale disasters have hit the areas where we live, people have been impoverished and children have been reduced to child labour. ”
Call for bridging the gap
The Children's Environmental Rights Initiative Coalition urges the Multilateral Climate Fund and other climate finance providers to act quickly to address the adaptation gap, particularly in terms of financing to compensate for the loss and damage caused by climate change.
At the same time, funding should prioritize children's well-being, support social services that are vital to children, and focus on reaching and reaching the most vulnerable and at high risk of climate impacts.
