Many of the humanitarian crises in Africa are partly linked to Global climatic and environmental crises. As ACERWC noted in its recent report, children in Africa are growing up in contexts where the effects of climate change hit the hardest Environmental degradation including climate change has adverse effects on their education, health, the right to food and nutrition. The crises also contribute to tensions between communities, often driving violent conflict. Climate change emergency, pervasive pollution, and fast collapsing biodiversity are child rights challenges reinforcing political and economic instability, growing inequality, and declining food and water security. Every year, it is reported that no less than 1.5 million children under the age of 5 years die because of air and water pollution, exposure to toxic substances, and other types of environmental hazards. Environmental and climate crises undermine the rights of children that are protected by the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACRWC). Since its establishment on September 8, 2022, the ACRWC child rights and climate change Working Group has been urging States to establish child-sensitive monitoring, evaluation and accountability mechanisms based on disaggregated data and child-sensitive targets, and report on the progress made towards integrating child-sensitive approaches into their climate actions. State’s obligations to integrate a child rights-based approach into climate change action is well elaborated in Resolution # 18 of ACERWC WG on Children’s Rights and Climate Change. The UNCRC General Comment 26 on child rights and the environment with special focus on climate change, adopted by the UN committee on the rights of the Child in 2023, places the
rights of children at the heart of the climate and environmental change agenda and provides further guidance to States on how to realize children’s rights while protecting the environment. It notes that States must ensure a clean, healthy and sustainable environment to protect and fulfil children’s rights. The obligation to respect children’s rights requires States to refrain from violating them by causing environmental harm. How the AU institutions and governments respond to these crises through laws, policies, budgets, and procedures is therefore an important area for child rights monitoring and reporting.
Please see the TOR below for more information and the Expression of Interest Template for your financial and technical bid submission:
Submission deadline:28th March 2025
SCI_SG_Child-Safeguarding-Policy_EN
Expression of Interest Form- Climate Change Reporting
Climate Change Reporting Consultancy TOR