Two decades ago at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, 12-year-old Severn Suzuki reminded world leaders: “Do not forget why you are attending these conferences, who you are doing this for—we are your own children. You are deciding what kind of a world we will grow up in.”
The follow-up to the Earth Summit, the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) took place in Brazil on June 20-22, 2012. Children’s rights truly came of age in Rio and were featured prominently through both a dedicated session at the Corporate Sustainability Forum and the Forum’s own outcome document.
Recently, at a UN Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in Geneva, three young adults were invited to lead and make their own voices heard. The UN Global Platform provided an amazing opportunity for these youths to join in the conversation, and the extraordinary young adults Andra and Tricia, both 14 from the Philippines, and Johnson, 17, from Kenya rose to the occasion.
Jenner Pascua is a production officer for unicefusa.org
In celebration of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, I’m reminded of 350.org – one of the featured organizations on UNICEF’s uniteforclimate.org. The number 350 refers to the goal of reducing the CO2 in the atmosphere from 387 parts per million to the safe level of 350.
This week’s video looks back at “the most widespread day of political action in the planet’s history,” according to CNN – the International Global Climate Action Day on October 29, 2009. On that day there were 5,200 actions in 181 countries, but just one single actor in Babylon, Iraq.
She joined the climate control discussion with a simple picture, and inspired thousands. The video shows how one person can make an impact, and encourages viewers to take action this year by joining the global work party on 10/10/10.
UNICEF has been involved with the discussion on climate control for some time now. In 2007, UNICEF released a report entitled Climate Change and Children, which expressed concerns on how the effects of climate change can impact the lives of children in developing countries.
Last December, UNICEF Denmark organized the Children’s Climate Forum in conjunction with the COP15. Allowing young delegates from around the world to voice their thoughts and concerns, and present them to world leaders attending the COP15.
Chloe Songer is one of the four delegates chosen to represent the United States at the Children’s Climate Forum (CCF) taking place in Copenhagen. The U.S. Delegates will be sharing their experiences at the CCF on Fieldnotes.
We have been stretched beyond our limits the past few days; stepping far out of our usual comfort zones to engage in a forum centered on diversity, the environment, and making change. Fundamental cultural divisions of religion, language, economic status etc. that would in theory separate, have only brought the delegates closer.
Olivia Zhu is one of the four delegates chosen to represent the United States at the Children’s Climate Forum (CCF) taking place in Copenhagen. The U.S. Delegates will be sharing their experiences at the CCF on Fieldnotes.
We were at the Guldberg school today, meeting with Danish kids from the Climate Class, a complete environmental education one day per week. We were greeted by a lot of smiling faces waving flags of our different nations as we entered the school building. The sixth grade choir sang a traditional Danish song to welcome us, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” as a message of the hope for the future, and a surprise song
Becca Arbacher is one of the four delegates chosen to represent the United States at the Children’s Climate Forum (CCF) taking place in Copenhagen. The U.S. Delegates will be sharing their experiences at the CCF on Fieldnotes.
We easily settled in to work at the UNICEF Children’s Climate Forum. On the first day I chose a workshop on Climate Justice.
Thirty years ago, only one out of five children were immunized against killer diseases like measles and polio. Throughout the developing world, millions of children were dying of illnesses that had all but disappeared in the world’s wealthier countries. Since then, a near miracle has taken place. Now, four out of five children are protected by vaccines. Polio is on the verge of elimination. Measles and tetanus deaths have been reduced dramatically. This miracle did not happen by itself.
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