UNITED NATIONS, September 26 — As global leaders gather for the UN General Assembly High-Level Week, the pressing urgency of climate change dominates discussions alongside other key issues such as multilateralism, gender equality, and AI governance. This year, as countries submit their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) in preparation for COP30, a young advocate is urging that the voices of children be included in these vital conversations.
Fifteen-year-old Zunaira, a climate advocate from the Balochistan province of Pakistan, has been vocal about the disconnect between the climate promises made by world leaders and the reality faced by young people. “In every country, it’s the same; they only speak empty words, and empty promises are made with us as young people and children,” she expressed during a recent event at UNICEF House, held on the sidelines of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly.
Zunaira’s insights come in light of UNICEF’s Children’s Climate Risk Index (CCRI), which identifies the risks children face from climate change across 163 countries. The index reveals that approximately 1 billion children live in high-risk countries, emphasizing the urgent need for governments to integrate the perspectives and experiences of children into climate policy.
At COP29, Zunaira noted that only a mere three percent of the attending member states included children’s voices in their policy discussions, a trend she hopes will change moving forward. “This is not a new demand,” she said, highlighting that youth advocates have consistently called for greater child engagement in climate negotiations, but those calls have gone largely unheard.
Now in New York as part of UNICEF’s Youth Advocates Mobilization Lab, Zunaira is sharing her research on the impacts of climate change on education, specifically after the devastating floods in Pakistan in 2022. Those floods affected over 33 million people and tragically claimed the lives of 647 children, leaving many communities unprepared for the extreme weather events exacerbated by climate change.
Through her policy research program with UNICEF Pakistan, Zunaira, who began her research at the age of 12, investigated how such floods disrupt girls’ education. In her visits to flood-prone areas like Sakran, she spoke with secondary school-aged girls about their experiences, revealing that the floods had obliterated the very huts that served as their schools.
Her findings underscored that these natural disasters exacerbate existing educational inequalities, forcing girls into temporary shelters and disrupting their schooling. “The floods washed away any hope for education for many children,” she stated, emphasizing the need for better disaster preparedness in schools and the construction of flood-resistant infrastructure.
Zunaira highlighted the stark reality that many students now have to travel up to 25 miles to reach the nearest school, making it nearly impossible for them to continue their education. “With the devastation brought on by the floods, there was no school to return to,” she lamented, pressing the need for investment in climate-resilient infrastructure to prevent future losses.
The international community’s support for climate adaptation is crucial, Zunaira argues, particularly through initiatives like the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD). Her message to world leaders is clear: they must actively engage children and youth in climate discussions and recognize the real lives behind the statistics.
“It’s not just a statistic,” she urged. “It’s about lives lost, homes destroyed, and communities displaced. World leaders need to understand that these are real experiences, not just numbers on a page.”
As the UN General Assembly unfolds, Zunaira’s call to action resonates louder than ever. She is not merely asking for a seat at the table; she is demanding that the lived experiences of youth impacted by climate change be integrated into the very fabric of policy-making. Only through this inclusion can effective and equitable climate solutions be developed, ensuring a safer future for all children around the globe.
