EiE Hub submission to UNFCCC regarding its call for input to the Expert Dialogue on Children and Climate Change
On 15 May, the Geneva Global Hub for Education in Emergencies (EiE Hub) – with leading contributions from Education Cannot Wait (“ECW”), the Global Partnership for Education (“GPE”) and UNESCO – submitted a response to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s (UNFCCC) call for input to the Expert Dialogue on Children and Climate Change, which will be held in Bonn, Germany on 4 June 2024.
The EiE Hub welcomes the UNFCCC’s call for input, as children and youth are disproportionally affected by the climate and environmental breakdown. According to the UNICEF Children’s Climate Risk Index, approximately one billion children globally – nearly half the world’s children – live in countries considered at ‘extremely high risk’ from the impacts of the climate crisis. Children in these countries are exposed to multiple climate-related and environmental shocks.
The EiE Hub’s input draws primarily on its flagship report “Leveraging Education in Emergencies for Climate Action“, while also reflecting the latest evidence and research from its members. The input focuses particularly on the disproportionate impact of climate change on the education of crisis-affected and displaced children and youth.
It is important to note that education is increasingly recognised as one of the most powerful tools to combat and adapt to climate change and its effects, and with the impacts of climate change disproportionately impacting the education of crisis-affected and displaced children and youth, there is a pressing need to prioritise education in emergencies.
