Millions of children in Nepal are increasingly exposed to climate, environmental and disaster risks that threaten their health, nutrition, education and protection, according to a new UNICEF report released on Thursday.
The advocacy brief, Growing Up in a Climate Hotspot: The Risks Shaping the Lives and Futures of Nepal's Children, said 9.9 million children are exposed to unhealthy levels of air pollution, while 7.3 million face drought and 5.7 million are exposed to extreme hot days. Another 2.9 million children are exposed to rainfall-triggered landslides, while an estimated 2.4 million face multiple high-intensity climate hazards.
The report said climate-related shocks are also putting pressure on basic services and increasing risks of child labour, child marriage, disease outbreaks and disruption to education. It noted that only 47.5 per cent of Nepal's population has access to safely managed drinking water, while one in four children under five is stunted and 22 per cent of children live in multidimensional poverty.
"Children have contributed least to climate change, yet they are among those bearing its greatest consequences," said Alice Akunga, UNICEF representative to Nepal. She called for children to be placed at the centre of climate policy, financing and adaptation efforts as Nepal prepares to participate in the UN climate conference COP31 in Türkiye.
The brief said climate risks are particularly severe for children living in poverty, girls, children with disabilities, those from historically marginalised communities and children living in remote and climate-vulnerable areas.
The Government of Nepal endorsed the Declaration on Children, Youth and Climate Action during the National Climate Summit on October 29. The declaration, launched at COP25 and endorsed by 78 countries, commits governments to climate action that addresses the rights, needs and contributions of children and young people.
UNICEF has called for greater investment in child-responsive adaptation and loss and damage measures, including climate-resilient health, nutrition, water and sanitation, education, child protection and social protection services.
It also urged governments to use child-focused and disaggregated climate-risk data in planning, while calling on the private sector to support climate-resilient infrastructure and clean energy solutions. UNICEF further stressed the need to include children and young people in climate decision-making at local, national and international levels.
