Key messages:

Climate change threatens the lives, health and well-being of children. They are the most vulnerable to its effects, and those who live in low-income communities are at particularly high risk of harm.

Children are not like little adults. Their bodies and minds are uniquely vulnerable to the impacts of climate change such as pollution, deadly diseases and extreme weather. Yet they have been either ignored or largely disregarded in the global climate change discourse and financing. UNICEF’s 2021 landmark Children's Climate Risk Index (CCRI) report found that 1 billion children are at extremely high risk of the impacts of the climate crisis and examined eight components of climate and environmental shocks and stresses. This report builds on the CCRI and examines one of these components – water scarcity (the physical availability of water) along with water vulnerability (the combination of water scarcity and lack of access to drinking water service).

As of 2022:

• Almost 1 billion children (953 million) are exposed to high or extremely high water stress.

• 739 million children are exposed to high or extremely high water scarcity.

• 436 million children live in areas with high or extremely high water vulnerability.

• 470 million children face high or extremely high drought risk.

While countries all over the world face water stress as they struggle to balance demand with available supplies in a changing climate, the combination of physical water scarcity and inadequate infrastructure for drinking water services creates water vulnerability. Managing water scarcity and reducing water vulnerability will require much stronger action in national adaptation plans and climate finance investments. Putting children at the centre of the global response to the climate crisis will not only protect the health and well-being of children, but also lead to stronger communities and more resilient economies. At COP28, world leaders and the international community must take critical steps with and for children, to secure a livable planet.

They must:

• Elevate children within the final COP28 Cover Decision and convene an expert dialogue on children and climate change.

• Embed children and intergeneration equity in the Global Stocktake (GST).

• Include children and climate-resilient essential services within the final decision on the Global Goal for Adaptation (GGA).

• Make the Loss and Damage Fund and funding arrangements childresponsive with child rights embedded in the fund’s governance and decision-making process.