António Guterres highlighted the serious impact of disasters on children in a message to mark the World Day for Disaster Risk Reduction on Sunday.
“When a disaster strikes, it causes enormous damage to individuals, society, and the economy. The ripple effects of death, destruction and displacement are unimaginable. “Today, disasters are increasing in frequency and intensity, often exacerbated by the climate crisis,” he said.
“No one is safe, but children are especially vulnerable.“He added.
1 billion children at extreme risk
According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), approximately one billion children are at “very high risk” from the effects of climate change. In recent years, children have been the most affected by devastating floods in the past 30 years.
In the aftermath of disasters, children face disruptions in education, nutrition and health care. They are often denied essential social services and protection, and girls and children with disabilities are particularly vulnerable to dangerous situations.
Children from poor families are disproportionately affected, exacerbating the challenges they face in recovering from disasters and the consequences of climate change.
© UNICEF/Rabik Upadhyay
A mother comforts her child in a village on the outskirts of Nepal’s capital Kathmandu in the aftermath of heavy rains and flash floods that affected tens of thousands of households.
Children are more than victims
Despite this vulnerability, Prime Minister Guterres emphasized that children are not just victims of disaster.
“They have a big stake in the future, Their ideas and innovations can help reduce risk and build resilience..”
He reiterated this year’s World Day theme: the role of education in protecting and empowering youth for a disaster-free future.
“Education is important not only to protect children, but also to enable them to participate in decision-making. “It’s about reducing the risk for everyone,” he said.
Key steps to reduce risk
The Secretary-General called on countries to take concrete steps to reduce risks to children, including scaling up multi-hazard early warning systems to reach all populations. Build and renovate schools to withstand disasters. Empowering youth with the tools to become champions of resilience.
He also encouraged the government to adopt a comprehensive school safety framework, a roadmap to improve disaster risk reduction and resilience in the education sector. This framework provides practical tools and guidance to help ministries of education, disaster management authorities and other stakeholders create safer learning environments.
“On this International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, every day, We owe it to future generations to help us create a safer, more resilient tomorrow.“Mr. Guterres declared.
