Children tell govt climate change is a child rights issue
What does the future hold for them? BIGSTOCK
Tribune Report
Publish : 27 Oct 2021, 09:05 PMUpdate : 27 Oct 2021, 09:05 PM
Bangladeshi children on Wednesday called on government leaders to address climate change as a child rights issue and asked them to involve children in finding the solution.
The demands were voiced during the handing over of the Bangladeshi Children’s Climate Declaration to the country’s COP26 delegation at parliament.
The declaration was prepared over a year with the engagement of over one million Bangladeshi children involved with the Unicef-supported Generation Parliament Initiative.
Chief guest of the ceremony and Parliamentary Speaker Shirin Sharmin MP stressed the need to consider the effect of climate change on children when preparing national and global climate change agendas.
“Our prime minister was the first one in the world to create a Climate Trust Fund, showing the path to others. It is our responsibility to ensure the future of our children, thus I request the delegation to take this declaration with you to COP and push it as a prime agenda,” she said.
The declaration asked the government to address the issues of reducing pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, increasing investment in education, creating more opportunities for green jobs, and consulting with children on policy and decision making.
“Children in Bangladesh are not responsible for the climate crisis, yet they bear the brunt of this issue,” said Sheldon Yett, Unicef representative for Bangladesh.
Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and member of the COP26 delegation Md Shahab Uddin pledged to work while keeping the concerns of the children in mind.
“Our government is committed to upholding the rights of children. We also expect youths to come forward and help us in this regard. In the end, there are a lot of responsibilities on you,” the minister told the children.
Bangladesh is among the bottom 20% of nations in the world in terms of per-capita greenhouse gas emissions. However, according to Unicef’s Children Climate Risk Index 2021, the country was 15th globally in terms of climate change risk and impact on children.
Children tell govt climate change is a child rights issue
Bangladeshi children on Wednesday called on government leaders to address climate change as a child rights issue and asked them to involve children in finding the solution.
The demands were voiced during the handing over of the Bangladeshi Children’s Climate Declaration to the country’s COP26 delegation at parliament.
The declaration was prepared over a year with the engagement of over one million Bangladeshi children involved with the Unicef-supported Generation Parliament Initiative.
Chief guest of the ceremony and Parliamentary Speaker Shirin Sharmin MP stressed the need to consider the effect of climate change on children when preparing national and global climate change agendas.
“Our prime minister was the first one in the world to create a Climate Trust Fund, showing the path to others. It is our responsibility to ensure the future of our children, thus I request the delegation to take this declaration with you to COP and push it as a prime agenda,” she said.
The declaration asked the government to address the issues of reducing pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, increasing investment in education, creating more opportunities for green jobs, and consulting with children on policy and decision making.
“Children in Bangladesh are not responsible for the climate crisis, yet they bear the brunt of this issue,” said Sheldon Yett, Unicef representative for Bangladesh.
Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and member of the COP26 delegation Md Shahab Uddin pledged to work while keeping the concerns of the children in mind.
“Our government is committed to upholding the rights of children. We also expect youths to come forward and help us in this regard. In the end, there are a lot of responsibilities on you,” the minister told the children.
Bangladesh is among the bottom 20% of nations in the world in terms of per-capita greenhouse gas emissions. However, according to Unicef’s Children Climate Risk Index 2021, the country was 15th globally in terms of climate change risk and impact on children.