Translated with AI
At the highest points on Earth, where nature seemed eternal, glaciers are melting rapidly. As the glaciers retreat, the consequences of what is happening "up there" are increasingly felt here, "down there" – especially for children. This was stated by the Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Catherine Mary Russell, NIAT "Khovar" reports.
According to her, for UNICEF, the climate crisis is, first and foremost, a crisis of children’s rights. It affects children’s health, safety and access to basic services. More than 1 billion children live in conditions of extreme climate risk. At the same time, they bear the least responsibility for this crisis, but suffer the most from it.
“Central Asia is one of the most vulnerable regions. Tajikistan has already lost almost 30% of its glacier mass. If no action is taken, glaciers will shrink by another 15-20% by 2050. This threatens the water supply, health and future of millions of children. Today, 45% of the country's population does not have access to safe drinking water – children drink from unsafe sources and are at risk of serious diseases,” she noted, adding that children should be at the center of the climate agenda and financing.
“UNICEF works to support climate education, strengthen water systems, health care and social protection taking into account climate change. Most importantly, we create opportunities for young people to participate in decision-making,” said Catherine Mary Russell.
The Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund has called for more climate finance targeted at children, as only 2.4% of multilateral climate finance currently goes to providing the services children need to protect themselves from the impacts of the climate crisis. More needs to be done, and that needs to change.
"We call on governments to include children's interests in their climate plans and updated national programmes. The example of Tajikistan, which has included education, youth and health in its climate strategy, deserves high praise," the UNICEF representative concluded.
