A crisis involving child rights is the climate crisis. This is especially true, according to UNICEF research, in West and Central Africa, where children are most exposed to climate risks worldwide. The Paris Agreement and the Human Rights Council, UN General Assembly, and Committee on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) affirmation of children’s right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment since 2021 both place responsibility on states to incorporate child-responsive elements into their adaptation policies and strategies. The results of a child-centered review of West and Central African National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) and Adaptation Communications (ADCOMs) are presented in this policy brief. The results show that adaptation policies and methods in the area do not adequately consider children’s needs. But there is cause for optimism.
https://www.unicef.org/wca/reports/child-responsive-adaptation-west-and-central-africa