The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has called for increased investment in child-centered climate change efforts in Zimbabwe as the country grapples with the effects of the climate-induced El Niño drought. Drought severely affects children, among other vulnerable groups.
In a statement released on Friday, UNICEF announced the launch of a petition calling on government agencies, development partners and the private sector to prioritize children in their climate investments. The organization also advocates for increased funding for climate-resilient programs to ensure continued access to essential services such as health, education, water, sanitation, nutrition and child protection.
UNICEF states that children in Zimbabwe are ranked at high risk in the 2021 UNICEF Children’s Climate Risk Index and that children in Zimbabwe are particularly vulnerable to the risks posed by events caused by climate change. emphasized. The ongoing El Niño crisis, combined with existing public health emergencies related to cholera and polio, has created a complex humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe.
UNICEF is already working with the Government of Zimbabwe and other development partners to scale up programs to develop climate-resilient initiatives that empower children as agents of change and stewards of the environment.
“The growing impact of climate change on children’s well-being makes it urgent to scale up investment in child-centered climate strategies,” UNICEF said. “This is essential to strengthen climate-resilient programs, strengthen the resilience of households and carers to climate change, and reduce the long-term impacts of climate change on future generations.”
