Save the Children (SCI) has raised concerns over the future of 650 million children across Africa who are living the reality of the climate crisis on a daily basis.

Development Diaries reports that in light of the recent Africa Climate Summit, the humanitarian organisation called on leaders across Africa to do more to secure the needs and priorities of children in affected areas.

It is understood that climate shocks have caused at least 1.85 million children in sub-Saharan Africa to be internally displaced.

The United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has reported that more than two million children are in need of humanitarian aid in Niger.

The UN agency also reported that over 13.6 million children are in urgent need of life-saving humanitarian support in Sudan, adding that the number is the highest ever recorded in the country.

These statistics highlight the increasingly severe conditions children and families are facing across the continent due to the impact of climate change.

Leaders in Africa are under criticism for not doing enough to ensure that decisions about loss and damage, climate money, and children’s special needs and priorities are taken into consideration.

There is a need to prioritise child-responsive climate finance and enhance support for children, by fortifying social protection systems.

Development Diaries calls on African governments to act under the international human and child rights frameworks and make bold policy decisions that will prioritise child-responsive climate financing and enhance support for children.

Photo source: UNICEF