Placing children at the heart of climate action

On this World Environment Day, UNICEF joins children, young people, families, communities, and partners across the Maldives in calling for urgent climate action under this year's theme, #NowForClimate.

For the Maldives, the climate crisis is not a distant threat—it is a present reality already shaping the lives, rights, and futures of children. Across our islands, rising sea levels, coastal erosion, flooding, heat stress, and environmental degradation are placing growing pressure on the systems and services that children rely on every day.

Climate change is more than an environmental challenge. It is one of the greatest threats to children's well-being and development. It affects access to safe water, health services, education, nutrition, and protection. 

In the Maldives, children and young people face increasing risks from heat stress, water insecurity, disruptions to learning, and other climate-related shocks that threaten their health, development, and future opportunities. In a nation dispersed across over 180 inhabited islands, these risks are magnified, making climate resilience an urgent development imperative.

The impacts are no longer future projections—they are being felt today. Children are growing up on the frontlines of a changing climate, facing risks that are becoming more frequent and more severe. Yet this moment must not be defined by vulnerability alone. It must be defined by leadership, innovation, and collective action to build a more resilient future for every child.

The Maldives has demonstrated important leadership through its Third Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0), which strengthens the integration of child- and youth-sensitive priorities within national climate action. UNICEF is proud to support this process and the meaningful engagement of children and young people whose voices and perspectives are essential to shaping sustainable solutions. 

By explicitly recognizing the priorities of children and young people within its climate commitments, the Maldives is helping to ensure that those who will live longest with the consequences of climate change have a place in shaping the response. Children and young people are not only among those most affected by climate change. They are powerful advocates, innovators, and partners in driving change.

Through initiatives such as Climate Guardians, young Maldivians are acquiring the knowledge, skills, and confidence to contribute meaningfully to climate action at local, national, and global levels. Across the country, they are demonstrating leadership, mobilizing their communities, and advancing practical solutions that strengthen resilience and sustainability.

On this World Environment Day, UNICEF reaffirms its unwavering commitment to supporting climate action that places children at its centre. The decisions we make today will determine the world children inherit tomorrow. Together, we must act with urgency and ambition to ensure every child can grow up in a safe, resilient, and sustainable environment.

For every child, a livable planet.

Konme kujjakah, fahi dhuniye eh.