UNICEFBangladeshi youth lead the call for urgent climate action at COP27

Children and youth are leading the call for urgent climate action at the COP27 Climate Change Conference underway at Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. Among them is climate activist and UNICEF Bangladesh Youth Advocate Farzana Faruk Jhumu, according to UNICEF in Dhaka on Sunday (Nov 13).

As a member of the official UNICEF delegation to COP27, Farzana moderated the event “At the frontline: Children and adolescent led action for climate change”.

As part of the COP27 Youth and Future Generations Day on 10 November, the event celebrated youth power and participation at the global climate change conference.

“We had enough of your promises and we need these words to be put into action now,” said Farzana Faruk Jhumu in a passionate statement. “This is our time. I am calling on children and young people to join us in speaking up and to act to tackle the climate crisis with whatever resources they have,” Ms Faruk added.

Bangladesh is one of the countries most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, despite being among the lowest per-capita greenhouse gas emitting countries in the world.

One in three children in the Bangladesh – nearly 20 million children – are already affected by climate change every day. Without urgent action, virtually every child in the country will be harmed by extreme weather, floods, river erosion, sea level rise, and other environmental shocks driven by climate change. Children are at ever-greater risk of being pushed into exploitive child labour, child marriage and trafficking.

“Children are at the forefront of an emergency that is not of their making. It is high time we recognize climate change as a child rights crisis. As Farzana Faruk Jhumu and youth from across the globe raise their voices at COP27, UNICEF stands with them in their appeal for urgent and meaningful action,” said Mr Sheldon Yett, UNICEF Representative to Bangladesh.

As world leaders debate on climate policy and action at COP27, UNICEF urges them to protect children against the impacts of climate change, reduce pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, and give children and young people the space to be part of solutions.

Climate activist Farzana Faruk Jhumu was appointed as a UNICEF Youth Advocate for Bangladesh in 2022. In addition to her active role in climate action and advocacy forums, Farzana worked with UNICEF in 2021 on the launch of the Children's Climate Risk Index to highlight the climate crisis as a child rights crisis.

Bangladesh ranks as the 15th country globally in terms of climate change risks and impacts on children according to UNICEF’s first-ever Children’s Climate Risk Index (CCRI 2021). This makes Bangladeshi children among the world’s most vulnerable to climate change.