The United Nations Children’s Fund stated on Monday that the climate change crisis poses a threat to one billion children, putting them at risk and exposing them to climate and environmental shocks, with a high vulnerability due to insufficient essential services such as water and sanitation, healthcare, and education.

UNICEF said it would attend COP26 to guarantee that children’s rights be recognised as part of the climate crisis, citing that one billion children, or over half of the world’s children, live in 33 countries categorised as “very high-risk” by the Index.

Commenting, UNICEF Executive Director, Henrietta Fore, said: “COP26 must be the COP for children. Climate change is one of the greatest threats facing this generation, with 1 billion children at extremely high risk. Yet, while the outlook is dire, world leaders at COP26 have a significant, time-sensitive opportunity to redirect the terrible path we are on.”

“They can do so by committing to strengthening the resilience of services that children depend upon, and by cutting emissions faster and deeper. The futures of billions of children depend on it.”

An excerpt from the UNICEF report: “The climate is changing everywhere, and uprooted children and young people – whether living in protracted displacement, refugee camps, urban slums or bustling mega cities – are among the most exposed to its impacts. But children should not be viewed as passive bystanders in tackling the challenges posed by a changing climate. Children and young people uprooted can also be key agents for change. They have critical skills, experiences and ideas we need to better mitigate and adapt to climate change and must be partners in shaping solutions.”