For young people living on the frontlines, climate change disrupts education, health and safety, casting a pall of uncertainty over the future.
As countries race to meet climate goals, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is stepping in to ensure that children’s voices are not just heard, but central to shaping solutions.
UN News spoke with the heads of UNICEF in Nepal and the Maldives to explore how the agency is empowering youth, embedding climate resilience in schools and driving child-inclusive climate action.
A young girl stands next to a tap with a small jerry can in a mountain village in Nepal. Many houses lack piped water, so children often fetch water on their way home from school.
A daily reality
In a remote village in western Nepal, 11-year-old Sabu and her friends face danger daily on their way to school. Intensifying and unpredictable rains trigger landslides that wash away roads, and floods that submerge homes and farmland.
“Children live with anxiety and uncertainty. When it rains and there are floods, they have to trek, bridges are overrun, roads are muddy – and this is what they have to walk through day after day.”
“It becomes a huge burden for children to carry,” says Alice Akunga, UNICEF Representative in Nepal.
Thousands of kilometers away, in the low-lying Maldives, the threat takes a different but equally devastating form. Sea surges erode coastlines, flood homes and wash away infrastructure.
“Erosion is a daily reality for children here…young people see their trees falling, homes at risk and they grow up with the constant fear of losing their islands,” explains Edward Addai, UNICEF Representative in the Maldives.
“Climate change is not something far-off – it is part of their lives.”
A father and his daughter on a stretch of severely eroded beach in Dhiffushi island, in the Maldives.
Kids at the heart of climate action
UNICEF’s work in both countries is guided by a simple principle: children must be at the heart of climate solutions. This means not only shielding them from impacts but also empowering them to be agents of change.
In Nepal, with the support of UN agencies, the government has integrated climate change education into the national curriculum. Classes go beyond theory, with teacher training, green school initiatives and practical actions like rainwater harvesting and waste management.
“We are supporting updating school safety frameworks…making them more resilient and absorb climate shocks such as heavy rains or floods,” Ms. Akunga said.
At the recently concluded Sagarmatha Sambaad – the Everest climate talks – UNICEF supported a national youth-led dialogue that brought together over 100 children and young people from across Nepal to engage with policymakers and submit a Children and Youth Declaration to the Prime Minister.
UNICEF Representative to Maldives Edward Addai speaks with a group of girls participating in a plastic clean up drive.
Youth leadership beyond classrooms
In the Maldives, the agency’s approach emphasises community engagement alongside education.
UNICEF has helped establish environmental clubs in schools, providing safe spaces for children to learn, discuss and act on climate issues. It is also working with the health system to introduce solar energy to hospitals, supplanting fossil fuels.
“These clubs are critical for nurturing leadership and connecting school activities to community projects,” Mr. Addai added.
Young people are also at the centre of the Government’s climate plans, engaging in direct dialogue with policymakers and strengthening intergenerational accountability. One such initiative is the Youth Track to COP, a platform co-led by UNICEF and government partners to prepare young people to meaningfully engage in national and global climate discussions.
Alice Akunga, UNICEF Representative to Nepal, with a group of young children in a classroom.
Safeguarding the next generation
UNICEF is also supporting efforts to integrate child-sensitive policies into the countries’ Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) – the climate pledges under the Paris Agreement.
Nepal’s pledges include commitments to green schools and climate-resilient educational infrastructure. Children were actively involved in the consultations for Nepal’s latest NDC, sharing firsthand stories of how climate impacts their daily lives.
The Maldives’ emphasises youth engagement, clean water access and strengthened health systems in climate-vulnerable areas. Young people are also shaping policy through national mock COPs and direct participation in global climate forums.
This ensures that resilience efforts will extend beyond infrastructure to cover children’s health, education and mental wellbeing.
An eight-year-old girl retrieves her textbooks from the rubble of her home, destroyed in an earthquake in western Nepal.
Getting it right, for everyone
The UNICEF officials emphasised what a truly child-inclusive climate plan requires.
“It recognises how climate change impacts every aspect of a child’s life – from their lungs to their learning to their access to clean water,” Ms. Akunga said.
“It ensures children can keep receiving health services, continue learning and adapt without anxiety or uncertainty. It’s about securing their survival, growth, and development no matter what climate shocks come.”
Mr. Edward added: “If we get it right for children, we get it right for society.”
“Children are the future caretakers of their land and communities. A climate plan that ignores children’s realities will fail everyone. But when children are healthy, educated, and included, society thrives,”
A group of young Maldivians at a national conference as the country prepares for the COP28 climate summit.
Children leading the way
Ms. Akunga recalled meeting Sabu, the 11-year-old girl, on a field visit.
“I met this child. I went to her village and met her parents…she has taken it upon herself and mobilised other young girls to learn about medicinal plants – how to nurture them and protect them from extreme weather conditions.”
She spoke of how Sabu is transferring knowledge from elders to peers – bridging generations – and impressing her community with her passion.
Despite the daunting challenges, children like Sabu are stepping up. They are organizing themselves, advocating for change and proposing solutions.
“Their voices matter…children are not just affected by climate change — they are essential partners in responding to it,” Ms. Akunga affirmed.
Mr. Addai echoed this sentiment: “By listening to children and including them in decisions, we build a world where the next generation can live safely and thrive.”
