As COP30 closed in Belém, Brazil, this week, major strides are needed in implementation, investment, and ensuring a livable planet for children today and future generations.
UNICEF is concerned that the outcome of COP30 does not deliver the action necessary to keep 1.5C within reach and is urging Parties to take urgent action to protect the world's 2.4 billion children, including a transition away from fossil fuels.
"Children are uniquely impacted by climate change," said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. "They rely on resilient infrastructure in health, education, and water and sanitation to live, learn and thrive. A world fit for children requires protecting them today, along with the services they depend on for their future."
UNICEF welcomes the new goal of tripling adaptation finance by 2035 - which is critical to protecting children from the disproportionate impacts of climate change that are already disrupting their lives. Parties and partners must also move swiftly to implement decisions on loss and damage by fully recognising children as a distinct group that bears a unique burden which must be addressed.
