Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 6) — The Philippines has the highest number of displaced children from 2016 to 2021 due to the climate crisis, the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) reported in its first global analysis.
“The Philippines is at the epicentre of this crisis, bearing the highest absolute number of child displacements at 9.7 million,” UNICEF said in a statement released on Friday.
“India and China closely follow with 6.7 million and 6.4 million displaced children, respectively,” it added. “In terms of hazard, the Philippines ranks first for storms and third for floods in absolute numbers of children displaced.”
In its 30-year projection, close to 2.5 million children in the country are at risk of being displaced by storm surges.
“This risk is exacerbated by the fact that the country’s coastlines are highly susceptible to storm surges, and it can impact even densely populated cities such as Manila, Cebu, and Davao,” UNICEF said, as it warned the Philippines to assess the crisis and prepare for the coming years.
According to UNICEF preemptive evacuation may be necessary to save children living in high-risk areas.
“As leaders prepare to meet at the COP28 Climate Change Summit in Dubai in November, UNICEF urges governments, donors, development partners and the private sector to take the following actions to protect children and young people at risk of future displacement and prepare them and their communities,” it said.
Some 43 million internal weather-related displacements of children in 44 countries were reported over the last six years. The report stated that this was equal to 20,000 child displacements per day.
The Philippines, India, and China have a combined number of approximately 23 million child displacements from 2016 to 2021.
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