UNICEF and TED Hatay College call for climate action on the National Children's Day

23 April 2022, ANTAKYA – On Turkey’s National Children’s Day, through a photo exhibition “Climate Change and Children”, UNICEF and TED Hatay College call for reducing pollution, adopting environmentally sustainable solutions, protecting children from the impact of climate change and promoting their participation in climate action.

“We are running out of time against the climate crisis, but everyone has a lot to do” – this was a joint message of Ece Ketenci and Hüseyin Mert Dökmeci, TED Hatay college students, at the opening of the exhibition in the Hatay Expo Center on Saturday, April 23.

UNICEF Turkey Representative Regina De Dominicis reminded that the climate crisis is a child rights crisis that does not affect all children equally. The most disadvantaged children bear the heaviest burden in every crisis, including the climate one.

“Children are the least responsible for climate change, yet they will bear the greatest burden of its impact. For this reason, UNICEF calls upon governments to act now and adopt environmentally sustainable solutions in all sectors, while protecting children who are already affected by climate change and putting them at the heart of the promotion of environmentally sustainable lifestyles”, said De Dominicis.

Schools and preschools have a key role to play in raising awareness and supporting every child to adopt environmentally responsible behaviors since the early years.

“As TED Hatay College family, and as an active member of the community in our city, we volunteer in leading the efforts to reduce the global warming and fight the climate change which deeply affects both our region and the world”, said Prof. Mustafa Özat, President of the TED Hatay College.

Worlwide, children are facing multiple climate-related impacts such as severe drought and flooding, air pollution and water scarcity, malnutrition and disease. Almost every child on the planet is exposed to at least one of these climate and environmental hazards. One in four deaths in children under five is attributable to unhealthy environments. Around 1 billion children – nearly half the world’s children – live in countries classified as at extremely high-risk to the impacts of climate change. These hazards will grow in severity as the impacts of climate change accelerate.

For these reasons, the aim of the Climate Change and Children photo exhibition is to remind about individual and collective responsibility of all human beings to save their only home – the planet. It was first presented in Ankara on UNICEF’s 75th anniversary in December last year. Thanks to the collaboration between UNICEF and TED Hatay College, this exhibition is now available to the citizens of Hatay. In this way, UNICEF and TED Hatay College want to inspire schools around the country to support education and mobilization of every child on climate action.

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For more information, please contact:

Gizem Kanlı Demir, TED Hatay Collage, gdemir@tedhatay.k12.tr