COP28 Declaration: Peaceful transition to sustainability

Welcome to Part 2 of the COP28 declaration series. Here, we discuss the implications of various commitments endorsed by parties on child health and development. Part 1 explored the Global Cooling Pledge and the Declaration on Climate and Health. Here, we discuss the declarations on Climate, Relief, Recovery and Peace and Gender-responsive Just Transitions.

Declaration on Climate, Relief, Recovery and Peace

Endorsed by 80 countries and 43 organizations, the COP28 Declaration on Climate, Relief, Recovery and Peace outlines the commitment to strengthen climate adaptation, finance, climate action, and collaboration to support communities in conflicted areas. The declaration emphasizes the need to integrate climate considerations into all aspects of relief, recovery, and peacebuilding efforts to ensure a sustainable and equitable future for children. 

Key Provisions Related to Child Health and Development 

The declaration highlights the following key provisions related to child health and development: 

1. Strengthening financial instruments:

By mobilizing and scaling up financing sources, such as public and grant-based resources, the conflict-affected countries can be helped to build climate adaptation and resilience. Another key aspect involves recognizing the importance of environmental and social safeguards, amongst other measures. Strengthening financial instruments can help to create monetary safeguards, mobilize finance, and improve living standards and incomes, thereby supporting healthy childhoods.

2. Invest in evidence-based climate action programs tailored to the needs of vulnerable communities:

Including vulnerable and hard-to-reach populations and communities in formulating and tailoring climate adaptation programs can help them better prepare and cope with the impact of climate change. It can include climate-smart infrastructure, and resilient and shock-responsive social protection systems, amongst others. UNICEF guidance note highlights young children’s voices as the most underrepresented in the decision-making. It thus becomes imperative to shift the children’s voices from passive victims to voices of change through evidence-based approaches.

3. Enable rapid and effective responses to climate shocks by improving program flexibility and adaptability:

Leveraging the knowledge and experiences of various actors, such as humanitarians, disaster risk managers, peacekeepers, development actors, academics, and indigenous communities, helps strengthen the evidence base for effectively delivering climate action. It offers an opportunity to integrate children’s rights in climate action programs to safeguard the evolving and unique vulnerabilities associated with childhood development.

4. Incorporate conflict-sensitive approaches to ensure climate action promotes peace and human development:

Introduce more flexible and adaptable program delivery mechanisms to facilitate timely disbursement of funds, enabling swift and effective responses to evolving conditions by a broader range of implementing partners. Incorporate conflict-sensitive practices into climate action programs to avoid exacerbating tensions, uphold human rights, and promote peacebuilding.

3. Map risk and vulnerability at multiple geographical levels through monitoring and forecasting to identify shocks and long-term trends affecting the communities.

It also emphasizes the need to empower and promote leadership among affected groups to facilitate active participation in policymaking, program design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation. It can help enhance ownership and sustainability of climate action.

In conclusion, the COP28 Declaration on Climate, Relief, Recovery and Peace represents a crucial step towards addressing the complex challenges posed by climate change and its impacts on children’s health and development. By prioritizing child-centred climate action, integrating climate considerations into relief, recovery, and peacebuilding efforts, and investing in the resilience and well-being of children, the declaration can pave the way for a healthier, more equitable, and sustainable future for all. 

COP28 Gender-Responsive Just Transitions & Climate Action Partnership

The COP28 Gender-Responsive Just Transitions & Climate Action Partnership recognizes the crucial role of gender equality in achieving just and equitable climate action. This partnership explicitly acknowledges the importance of addressing the disproportionate impacts of climate change on women and girls, including their impact on child health and development. 

Key Provisions Related to Child Health and Development 

The partnership highlights the following key provisions related to child health and development: 

1. Enhancing women’s leadership and participation:

The partnership commits to strengthening women’s leadership and participation in climate action initiatives, recognizing their vital role in promoting gender-responsive climate policies and programs. Especial representation of women and girls facing inequalities, including indigenous, rural and groups with disabilities, can lead to more effective and equitable adaptation and mitigation efforts, directly benefiting children’s health and well-being. 

2. Prioritizing women’s livelihoods:

While recognising the disproportionate impact of climate change on women and girls, it outlines the need to support their livelihoods and economic empowerment. It can help promote access to improved nutrition, healthcare, and education for children by promoting sustainable livelihoods and ensuring women’s access to resources and opportunities. 

3. Addressing gender-specific transitions:

Women with land rights can better utilise the land resources and can meaningfully participate in sustainable agriculture and land restoration while reaping benefits from climate adaptation and mitigation. This can benefit child health and development by ensuring a nutritious food supply through climate-resilient food systems.

Providing women with resources, education and training in climate-smart practices can prove critical to economic security and transition to decent work and sustainable climate-adaptive livelihoods. This can protect their crops, livestock, and livelihoods, ensuring their families’ food and income security. Sustainable resource management practices can also help conserve these resources for future generations, ensuring a healthy environment for children.

All the while, strengthening and expanding access to gender-responsive social protection systems can help tackle the exacerbation of climate change-induced gender inequalities. This can help prevent families from falling into poverty and ensure children’s access to essential healthcare and education.

4. Instruments to Gender Responsive Just Transition:

Incorporation of human rights of women and girls in just transition efforts through:

• Implementation of gender-responsive strategies on mitigation and adaptation,
• Development of legislation and policy to protect, respect, and promote human rights, economic empowerment, access to decent work and education, sustainable livelihoods, and social protection systems.
• Funding sources and opportunities for women and girls in climate-affected regions,
• Support the development of evidence-based methodologies to assess gender equality in the transition to a Paris Agreement-aligned economy.
• Collaboration with women’s organizations to reduce unpaid care and domestic work

Way forward..

Both declarations outline several measures and instruments to ensure women’s and girls’ empowerment that directly and indirectly benefit child health and development. Empowering women and supporting their livelihoods benefits them and their families’ basic needs, including access to essential services such as healthcare, education, and nutrition. These commitments recognise the gender-specific climate risks and seek to address them gender-responsively. It can help create a constructive environment for nurturing a generation of climate-conscious leaders. Girls and boys with climate literacy and awareness can foster a generation of responsible and informed citizens who will champion sustainable practices and protect the planet for future generations.