UNICEF has praised Bangladesh for embedding children and young people in the third Nationally Determined Contribution, or NDC 3.0, a climate action plan under the Paris Agreement.
UNICEF in a release on Wednesday said that the NDC, led by the environment, forest and climate change ministry, had represented an international commitment through a comprehensive national climate plan.
The NDC not only focuses on emissions reduction, adaptation and resilience building but also commits to safeguarding children鈥檚 rights and empowering children and youth as catalysts for change, it added.
The environment adviser, Syeda Rizwana Hasan, stressed the importance of prioritising the participation of women, children, the elderly, people with disabilities, ethnic minorities and climate migrants. She also called for climate actions to be rights-based so that no one is left behind.
NDC 3.0 recognises the disproportionate and devastating impact of climate change on children and young people, the release said, that severely disrupts essential services that they rely on the most.
The strategic focus spans critical areas including health, food security and nutrition, water and sanitation, education, child protection, disaster risk reduction and addressing loss and damage.
It also introduces child-sensitive sectoral targets to ensure the continuity of essential services even during severe climate events such as floods, cyclones, landslides, salinity intrusion and heatwaves.
The essential services include keeping schools open, health services operational and safe water accessible.
To further create awareness and encourage behavioural change, UNICEF supports the Bangladesh ministry in developing three educational videos to cultivate healthy environmental habits from early childhood.
These resources will be integrated into curriculums and reinforced through comprehensive teacher training, dynamic student engagement and localised climate action initiatives.
Bangladesh would require strong national leadership and sustained international support to effectively execute NDC 3.0 and achieve the 2035 targets, the release said.
