Climate Change Puts Children on the Move

10/03/2022

Climate Change Puts Children on the Move

Now is exactly when we most need to gather our inner grit, heart, compassion and flexibility in order to respond to situations with intention and possibility, rather than reacting from fear in a familiar and habitual manner.
Robin Levy and Constant Hine, Positive Change through Grit and Intention

According to the World Economic Forum, “Nearly 10 million children were displaced as a result of weather-related events in 2020, and half the world’s young people now live in regions at high risk from the impacts of climate change, the UN says… This has prompted UNICEF, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Georgetown University and the United Nations University to release a set of nine core principles to protect children as they cross international borders because of climate change.” These include:

A rights-based approach
Best interests of the child
Accountability
Awareness and participation in decision-making
Family unity
Protection, safety and security
Access to education, healthcare and social services
Non-discrimination
Children’s right to a nationality

UNICEF remarks, “Developed in collaboration with young climate and migration activists, academics, experts, policymakers, practitioners, and UN agencies, the guiding principles are based on the globally ratified Convention on the Rights of the Child and are further informed by existing operational guidelines and frameworks, providing national and local governments, international organizations and civil society groups with a foundation to build policies that protect children’s rights.”

Learn more in this downloadable report.

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