Speech by Jayanti Bam, UNICEF Nepal Youth Advocate for Climate Action, at the SG’s Youth Roundtable at COP31

Secretary-General, Excellencies, distinguished guests and fellow young people.

Good evening! It is both a pleasure and an honor to join this discussion today. Thank you for creating this space for our perspectives to be heard.

I come from a generation that has never known a world untouched by climate change. For us, children and young people, climate change is not a future threat. It is our present reality.

And yet, when we talk about the impacts of climate change, we focus on numbers. We talk about temperatures, emissions, targets. We talk about damaged roads, bridges, and houses. These are important. But I think we sometimes forget something else.

Climate change and its impacts also take away the small things that make up a happy childhood: 

The feeling of safety.

Time spent with friends.

The excitement of learning something new at school.

The freedom to dream about the future without fear.

When children witness their homes, schools, or communities being swept away, part of their childhood is swept away too.

For children like me, climate change is not only an environmental crisis. It is also a child rights issue. When a flood destroys a school, it doesn't just damage a building. It disrupts learning, limits opportunities, and affects a child's future. When droughts and disasters affect food systems, children are not only hungry today; their growth, development, and potential are placed at risk tomorrow.

Nearly every child on earth is exposed to at least one major climate hazard, such as drought, heat, flooding, fire or storms.  And, around 1.1 billion children face three or more of these threats at once. 

As the Secretary-General completes his mandate and we look toward the next generation of global leadership, my request is simple: Protect children. Listen to children. And act for children. 

Protecting children from climate change is essential, but protection alone is not enough. Children and young people must also have agency and a meaningful voice in the decisions, policies and investments that affect our lives. And meaningful participation means more than just having a seat in the room. It means our perspectives are heard, valued and reflected in decisions and actions.

Every child deserves to grow, learn and fulfill their dreams in a safe and healthy environment. This is not just what we hope for. This is our right. 

As decisions are made on collective future here at COP31 and beyond, I, on behalf of all children, ask you to remember one thing: the future you are discussing is not an abstract concept, it is our future and we must see ourselves in it. What we need now is for our voices to be heard. 

After all, protecting childhood is not only about rebuilding homes and schools after a disaster. It is about making sure that no child loses the opportunity to learn, to play, to feel safe, to dream about a bright future and to simply be a child.