Last Friday, Child Rights Connect together with Save the Children International, Plan International, and World Vision, sent a joint letter calling on the Secretary-General of the United Nations to include children in the list of young climate leaders who will advise him regularly on accelerating global action and ambition to tackle the worsening climate crisis.

“Millions of children took part in school strikes for climate action in 2019 and early 2020 and demonstrated their outrage and constructive solutions in equal measure. They have been agents of change in the climate debate using their channels of influence- schools, social media, and street protest- to catalyze global activism on the climate crisis.  We have seen children from the global North to global South engaging with political and corporate leaders – in their home countries and also within the international system- most recently at the UN Human Rights Council claiming their right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment as a critical foundation to realizing their wellbeing and rights.”

The letter urged the Secretary-General to consider the voices of children who are vocal about their anxiety that our dash to economic recovery will scupper climate change and net-zero commitments. For more details click here to read the letter.

The participation and empowerment of children are more necessary than ever, as seen in the 2020 Annual Day on the Rights of the Child of the Human Rights Council, where for the first time ever, two children environmental human rights defenders spoke up in both panels to denounce environmental issues affecting children’s rights.