Declaration on Children, Youth and Climate Action
A pledge by champion governments to uphold priorities identified by children and youth across the world.
In 2019, at the 25th Conference of the Parties (COP25) in Madrid, a group of world leaders joined youth activists in a historic moment — to sign an Intergovernmental Declaration on Children, Youth and Climate Action. This is the first-of-its-kind commitment to accelerate inclusive, child and youth-centered climate policies and action at national and global levels.
As one of the custodians of the declaration, UNICEF works with governments to support its implementation. All Member States of the United Nations are invited to sign.
Read the Declaration
View list of signatories
Frequently asked questions
Guidance on implementing the Declaration
Should your government wish to express alignment to this pledge, we ask that your Government Mission to the United Nations kindly send written confirmation of this to UNICEF at the following email address: climate@unicef.org
The Declaration
Considering that children face heightened and specific risks due to climate change, that these impacts are already occurring, and that the most disadvantaged and marginalized children bear the heaviest burden;
Acknowledging the global leadership and calls of children and young people for urgent and immediate climate action, as well as their critical role as agents of change;
Recalling the commitment made in Article 2 of the Paris Agreement to limit the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, as well as the global goal on adaptation in Article 7, recognizing that these commitments would significantly reduce the risks and impacts of climate change;
Reaffirming the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and all human rights instruments relevant to the protection, promotion, respect and fulfilment of the human rights of all children and young people;
Recalling the Paris Agreement commitment by States to respect, promote and consider their respective obligations on human rights, including the rights of children, and intergenerational equity, when taking action to address climate change;
Recalling also Human Rights Council Resolutions 37/8, 35/20 and 40/11 which address the rights of children and young people with respect to environmental harm and climate change, and that a safe climate is a vital element of the right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment and is essential to human life and well-being;
COMMIT, THERFORE, to consider:
1. Advocating for global recognition and fulfilment of children’s inalienable right to a healthy environment, and to take steps to enshrine this right where appropriate into national, regional and global frameworks and/or national policies and legislation;
2. Enhancing efforts to respect, promote and consider the rights of children and young people in implementation of the Paris Agreement at all levels, including recognition of their specific vulnerabilities, as well as their status as key stakeholders and implementers, in countries’ national climate adaptation and mitigation measures, Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), and long-term greenhouse gas emissions development strategies, including consideration of the particular role and responsibilities of the private sector;
3. Scaling up and accelerating investment in child- and youth-responsive adaptation, disaster risk reduction and mitigation measures, cognizant of an urgent need to focus on reaching children most at risk, and advocate for child-sensitive criteria to be mainstreamed in multilateral funds;
4. Strengthening the capacity of children and young people on climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts by establishing and investing in climate change and environmental education, and equipping children and young people with the knowledge and skills required to protect themselves and contribute to a safe and sustainable future, ensuring that such efforts reach marginalized children and youth;
5. Enhancing the meaningful participation of children and youth in climate change processes, including through the Action for Climate Empowerment dialogue, by participating in the Youth Delegate Programme in the UNFCCC, and examining opportunities to meaningfully support YOUNGO priorities and the participation of young people, with a focus on the Global South;
6. Exploring measures to establish an international Commission for Children and Future Generations, as well as new or existing mechanisms at the national level to ensure the effective participation of children and youth in decision making on climate change;
7. Adopting institutional and administrative measures, as well as partnerships, at national and international levels to actively pursue the above objectives, and to enhance coherence and a cross-cutting focus on children and youth in climate action, including with respect to UNFCCC decision-making processes and workstreams, and implementation of the Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals.
NOTE: The Declaration was drafted in 2019, and while its principles remain unchanged, implementation can and should reflect changing national circumstances, priorities and developments that have taken place since. For example, the "right to a healthy environment" referred to in para 1 of the Declaration on Children, Youth and Climate Action, is materially identical to the "human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment" as recognised in UN General Assembly resolution 76/300 (2022). It can be promoted with this understanding and with the wording used in UN General Assembly resolution 76/300. The Guidance for Declaration Implementation allows for dynamic interpretation and provides supporting resources for operationalizing the Declaration. Further questions are addressed in the FAQs.
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Signatories
Albania
Andorra
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Bangladesh
Belgium
Benin
Bulgaria
Cambodia
Chile
Republic of the Congo
Costa Rica
Croatia
Denmark
The Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Ghana
Fiji
Grenada
Germany
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Guyana
Honduras
Hungary
Iraq
Jamaica
Jordan
Kyrgyzstan
Libya
Luxembourg
Madagascar
Marshall Islands
Mexico
Malawi
Malta
Micronesia
Monaco
Mongolia
Montenegro
The Netherlands
Nigeria
North Macedonia
Norway
Pakistan
Palau
Panama
Peru
Qatar
Senegal
Sierra Leone
São Tomé and Principe
Slovenia
South Africa
Spain
St. Lucia
Suriname
Sweden
Tajikistan
Uganda
Ukraine
Uruguay
Uzbekistan
Venezuela
Frequently asked questions
What is the Declaration?
The Declaration was launched in December 2019 during COP25, at a high-level event convened by the COP25 Presidency of the Government of Chile in Madrid, Spain.
UNICEF, in collaboration with YOUNGO and the Children’s Environmental Rights Initiative coalition (CERI), supported the Presidency, champion governments and young people from around the world to launch the Declaration in a bid to accelerate inclusive child- and youth-responsive climate policies and action at all levels. The Declaration is based on core priorities identified by YOUNGO members and children and youth globally.
Why is the Declaration important?
The Declaration represents a first-of-its-kind set of commitments by States to consistently consider children’s specific needs, rights and perspectives in their climate policies and action at all levels. This comprehensive framework seeks to respond to the fact that that the climate crisis is a child rights crisis, while also recognizing the enormous capacity of children and youth to be powerful agents of change. It also seeks to address the widespread omission of children from climate policies, strategies and plans.
It is imperative that we put children at the heart of climate action and invest in practical solutions that protect children from the effects of climate change. Operationalizing the Declaration would have a transformative effect for children’s rights and our ability to meet both the Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals.
How many countries have signed?
For the latest list, please refer to the Signatories section.
Can the Declaration be changed?
The Declaration is based on priorities identified by children and youth themselves, and consensus on the text was reached by the champion governments that launched the Declaration in 2019. In 2021, feedback received from Member States was accepted by YOUNGO. The Declaration text is therefore considered closed at this stage, however an annex to the Declaration has been developed to provide additional context and guidance on each commitment, and which can be updated at more regular intervals.
Is there any additional guidance to accompany the Declaration?
Yes, an annex has been developed to provide supporting guidance for taking forward operationalization of the Declaration’s commitments. This guidance is intended to provide more context, information, and supporting resources/tools where available. It also seeks to address additional comments and suggestions received from signatory States to further strengthen certain dimensions of the Declaration. The guidance can be further updated. Please contact the UNICEF team for further information.
Signatories may wish to further adapt this guidance to the national level context in order to reflect existing priorities and initiatives. Such an exercise could provide an excellent opportunity for establishing or strengthening collaboration with relevant partners including child- and youth-led organizations and networks.
As co-custodians of the Declaration, UNICEF, YOUNGO and CERI partners stand ready to support your government to realize these commitments.
How can our government sign?
Your Government can sign by sending a scanned copy of the signed Declaration to climate@unicef.org and the CERI Secretariat at secretariat@childrenvironment.org. You will receive a confirmation email from UNICEF.
You are also kindly invited to identify a focal point and contact details for follow-up.
What happens next?
We hope that signatories of the Declaration will take ambitious action to implement its commitments in domestic, regional and multilateral settings, with the aim of driving a significantly enhanced focus on the rights of children and young people in the implementation of the Paris Agreement.
UNICEF, YOUNGO, CERI and partners have a series of resources and tools to help you operationalize your alignment through further action. We hope that your commitment to the Declaration will also inspire:
- Your leadership in driving forward implementation and promotion of children's right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment through the UN General Assembly and UNFCCC so as to ensure greater protection for all children;
- Urgent and equitable action to phase out fossil fuels, ensure a just transition, and invest in renewable energy, energy storage and energy efficiency, and the integration of children’s needs when preparing and updating Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs);
- The adoption of climate-resilient development policies and adaptation of the essential social services children rely on — like water and sanitation, health, nutrition, education, and child protection — to our new climate reality, with a particular focus on reaching children most at risk;
- Scaling-up and increasing investment to address the disproportionate impacts of climate change and environmental harm on children, both in national budgets and through development assistance;
- Including children and youth in your Party’s official UNFCCC delegations, as well as supporting child rights and participation in climate-related policy discussions, plans and forums (e.g., Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), National Adaptation Plan (NAP));
- Empowering every child with the developmental opportunities, education and skills to be a champion for the environment, including through integrating climate change and environmental sustainability in national education plans and programmes;
More broadly, Government alignments to the Declaration will be made visible on unicef.org and on the co-custodians’ social media channels at different moments during the year. We also encourage you to share your support for the Declaration on your own social channels and to tag @UNICEF, @CERI_Coalition and @youngo_unfccc.
How will progress be monitored?
As your Government takes steps to operationalize the Declaration, please share developments and plans with us so that we can bring visibility to exemplary work. We encourage you to make the Declaration visible on your Government website, and to inform/engage relevant stakeholders, for example through events at the national level, as suggested above.
In addition, signatories are encouraged to include information with respect to the Declaration and its implementation through relevant policies and reporting processes such as Nationally Determined Contributions, National Adaptation Plans, national Action for Climate Empowerment strategies, UNFCCC national communications, the SDG Voluntary National Review mechanism, Universal Periodic Review, and reporting to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child.
