The Children’s Environmental Rights Initiative (CERI) in partnership with Plan International, Save the Children, and UNICEF has released a report - Falling Short: Addressing the Climate Finance Gap for Children

The study analyses the degree to which projects funded by key Multilateral Climate Funds are 'child-responsive'. The report concludes that children are being failed by climate finance allocations, despite bearing the brunt of the climate crisis. 'Child-responsiveness' is defined as addressing the distinct and heightened impacts on children's rights due to the climate crisis, including targeted interventions, building the resilience of child-critical social services (including education, health etc.) and empowering children as agents of change. The study provides the first-ever child-focused review of climate finance, and should provide a solid basis for collective advocacy, including the General Comment guidance on climate finance, and advocacy at processes in the run-up to and at COP28. 

The report was launched during the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact, that took place in Paris last week. See Plan’s press release here.

 The report highlights the importance of viewing children as active agents of change. Public spending on children is a good investment given the increasing impacts from climate change.