UNICEF and Youth Volunteers Plant Trees and Recycle Plastic Waste across Nigeria to Save the Environment

LAGOS, 26 September 2024 – The acceleration of the Green Rising Initiative in Nigeria – a UNICEF initiative aimed to engage 10 million children and young people globally by 2025 and empower them to protect and adapt to the impact of climate change commenced with the 2024 World Clean Up Day. Thousands of young people embarked on a major tree planting and plastic collection campaign in multiple universities and public spaces across the country including the University of Ibadan, the University of Lagos, and the Ibrahim Babangida University.

Through targeted environmental activities, the Green Rising Initiative, which kicked off in Nigeria on 5 June 2024 during World Environment Day, equips young Nigerians with the skills and opportunities to be climate action champions while addressing pressing environmental challenges in Nigeria - thereby contributing to the global target of planting 100,000 trees and recycling over 30,000kg of plastic waste by March 2025.

“We know that the climate crisis has a devastating impact on children and young people, but we also know that young people have the power to make a difference. We have seen them emerge as changemakers and fierce advocates for climate action throughout the country. It is our shared responsibility to support and empower them to take this action to scale so together we can protect every corner of our planet,” says Celine Lafoucriere, UNICEF’s Chief of Office in Lagos.

This initiative comes at a critical time as Nigeria just recently faced severe flooding in many regions. In Maiduguri and Jere alone, over 400,000 people including children have been temporarily displaced because of flooding. In UNICEF’s 2021 Children’s Climate Risk Index, Nigeria ranked as the second country in the world where children are most at risk and vulnerable to environmental stresses and extreme weather events – further emphasizing the urgency to address the ongoing climate crisis and ensure a livable planet for future generations.

While many partners such as the Government of Canada are already actively engaged in the initiative, UNICEF calls on more public and private sector partners to join the Green Rising Alliance to scale up efforts in Nigeria.