Ensuring a livable planet for every child

Children are among the hardest hit by the climate crisis.

Delegates attend the World Children's Day celebration in Vietnam, November 20, 2024. (Source: UNICEF)

Therefore, at the World Children's Day celebration in Vietnam today, November 20 in Hanoi, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and implementing partners issued a call for action so that every child can grow up healthy and safe from climate and environmental threats.

Vietnam is one of the countries most affected by climate change and children are affected to varying degrees. Severe climate-related shocks such as droughts, storms, landslides and floods have had a devastating impact on the lives of millions of children and their families.

Increasingly frequent and intense unusual or extreme climate events are leading to disruptions to essential health, nutrition, education, social and child protection services, affecting children's ability to survive, develop and reach their full potential.

The devastating impact of climate disasters was starkly demonstrated two months ago when Typhoon Yagi hit much of northern Vietnam. The storm, landslides and flash floods forced thousands of people to flee their homes and shelters. More than 318 people were killed and nearly 2,000 injured, with schools, health facilities and critical infrastructure destroyed or severely damaged. Children and families are still struggling to recover and rebuild in the aftermath of the storm.

UNICEF Representative in Vietnam Silvia Danailov speaks at the event. (Source: UNICEF)

Affirming that Vietnam is “at a critical turning point in addressing the growing impacts of climate change on children,” Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Hoang Hiep said: “The Government remains steadfast in its commitment to promoting policies and partnerships that protect children from climate-related risks while promoting sustainable development. Through joint, tireless efforts, we have the potential to turn challenges like Typhoon Yagi into drivers of development.”

This approach, the Deputy Minister said, “ensures that every child can hope for a future that is not only safe and healthy, but one that enables them to reach their full potential.”

Winning paintings from the children's drawing competition on disaster prevention and climate change. (Source: UNICEF)

At the ceremony, government partners, development organizations, mass organizations and climate advocates, children and youth argued for the need to turn climate crises like Typhoon Yagi into opportunities for learning, building resilience and action.

Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Ito Naoki shared the cooperative efforts between the Japanese and Vietnamese governments in many disaster management initiatives and emphasized the support being provided through UNICEF, focusing on children - a group vulnerable to the impacts of natural disasters.

The Government of Japan is committed to continuing its contributions to disaster risk reduction for vulnerable children in the context of climate change in Vietnam. "These efforts include scaling up child-focused disaster response drills and supporting the reconstruction of elementary schools and evacuation centers damaged by the recent typhoon," Ambassador Ito Naoki said.

World Children's Day marks the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) on November 20 every year. This year's theme of Vietnam is in line with General Comment No. 26 of the CRC, adopted by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child in 2023, which emphasizes the right of children to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment.

The devastating impact of the climate crisis on children is also one of the main themes of the “State of the World’s Children” report released by UNICEF on the occasion of World Children’s Day this year.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/ngay-tre-em-the-gioi-dam-bao-mot-hanh-tinh-dang-song-cho-moi-tre-em-294461.html