Caribbean Children Are Now at the Center of Climate Plans 

Climate change is no longer being treated solely as an environmental problem. UNICEF says it has also become a child rights issue as the region faces growing risks from hurricanes, flooding, droughts, extreme heat and environmental degradation, all of which threaten access to schools, healthcare, clean water, sanitation and proper nutrition.

“Children are among those least responsible for the climate crisis yet they bear some of its greatest consequences,” UNICEF Representative Sajid Ali said.

Meanwhile, Dr Colin Young, Executive Director of the CCCCC, added,  “It is a well-known fact that children and youth have not been a central focus of climate resilience programming, either regionally or globally.”

To take a more focused approach, both UNICEF and the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC) have signed a five-year partnership to ensure that children are placed at the centre of climate planning across the Caribbean, including Belize.

The partnership will integrate child-sensitive climate policies, build more resilient social services, strengthen disaster risk reduction efforts, and create space for young people to take part in climate decision-making.