With more children living in cities in the coming decades, ensuring urban areas are healthier and more secure is essential to building a better world for future generations, the UNICEF report notes
| Photo Credit: KVS GIRI

The world is facing an unprecedented crisis with nearly half of all children – about 1 billion – living in countries that face a high risk of climate and environmental hazards, the UNICEF’s State of the World’s Children 2024 (SOWC-2024) report, said. The report was released on Wednesday, November 20, 2024.

The report examines the impact of three long-term global forces — demographic shifts, climate and environmental crises, and frontier technologies, which it says will have a profound effect on children’s lives between now and 2050.

It notes that climate destabilisation, biodiversity collapse and widespread pollution threats are intensifying globally. “Children are confronting a more unpredictable, hazardous environment than any previous generation,’’ it warns.

Explaining the adverse impact these forces can have, the UNICEF report said that children’s developing bodies are uniquely susceptible to these hazards. From before their first breath, children’s brains, lungs and immune systems are vulnerable to pollution and extreme weather. Air pollution is especially harmful to children; its impact on their respiratory health and development can last a lifetime.

Rising temperatures increases mosquito populations, spreading diseases like malaria, dengue and Zika. Floods contaminate water supplies, leading to waterborne diseases, which are a major cause of death for children under five years of age. Extreme weather limits food production and access, increasing children’s risk of food insecurity. Climate-related disasters can also cause feelings of helplessness, trauma and anxiety in children, notes the report.

“Since 2022, 400 million students around the world have experienced school closures due to extreme weather. In addition to violating child rights, inhibiting learning stifles economic growth. Climate and environmental hazards also displace children from their homes,’’ the report states.

Child population to stabilise by 2050s

Additionally, it notes that by the 2050s, the global child population is projected to stabilize at around 2.3 billion. While South Asia will remain one of the regions with the largest child populations, it will be joined by Eastern and Southern Africa, as well as West and Central Africa.

“These regions already struggle to meet children’s basic needs, while also facing significant climate risks and lacking adequate digital infrastructure,’’ states that report adding that with fewer young dependents relative to workers, more resources could be freed to support children and boost the economy.

Technologies that could improve childhoods

On the frontier technologies front, the report notes that artificial intelligence (AI), neurotechnology, next-generation renewable energy and vaccine breakthroughs – could significantly improve childhood in the future.

“Digitalization can empower children but it can also expose children to online risks, including sexual exploitation and abuse,’’ the report cautions.

It adds that over 95 per cent of people in high-income countries are connected to the internet, compared with barely 26 per cent in low-income countries. Infrastructure limitations, high costs and permission barriers continue to impede progress. This digital exclusion threatens to exacerbate existing inequalities, especially in regions with rapidly growing child populations.

New Delhi:

Boys in India tend to have better access to career-related information, while less than 10 per cent students use career guidance services or are even aware of their availability, according to a new UNICEF report.

The Second Edition of the Bharat Career Aspiration Report 2024 (BCAR), which tracks the state of aspiration potential, career awareness and accessibility of professional career counselling among secondary and higher secondary students from low-income families, was released on Thursday.

The report published by UNICEF YuWaah and iDreamCareer, a platform offering personalised career guidance to students is based on a survey conducted over a period of five months (August-December 2023).

A total of 4,968 students from classes 9-12 across 25 states participated in the survey.

According to the findings, only 9.36 per cent of the total respondents (465 out of 4,968) received career guidance services prior to the study and were aware of such services. The study measured career awareness among students at two levels — basic and advanced.

“When it comes to basic and advanced career awareness levels among female and male respondents, the report reveals that boys tend to have better access to career-related information as they move up in higher education,” the report stated.

“On career choices, out of 4,968 respondents, 2,999 students showed their interest towards professional careers and 704 students were interested in vocational careers. In terms of gender-wise distribution of students for professional careers, 1,872 female students (62.42 per cent) chose to pursue a professional career after their schooling,” it said.

Similarly, out of 704 respondents, 56.25 per cent female students chose vocational careers. However, in both cases, it was higher than the male students, the report added.

The findings revealed that family members (30 per cent) and school teachers (13 per cent) are the top influencers in the career-related decision-making process for both male and female students.

“Out of the 21 professional career clusters, government and defence services was the top career choice for both genders. Among others, female respondents chose medical science and teaching as their preferred career choice, male respondents preferred engineering and technology, among others.

“Out of 19 vocational career clusters, the top choices for female aspirants were beauty and wellness, followed by defence, security and government services and sports and fitness. Among males, it was defence, security and government services, followed by sports and fitness and business operations and entrepreneurship,” it said.

In 2018, as part of the UN Youth Policy 2030, UNICEF launched the global Generation Unlimited (GenU) movement to meet the urgent needs of young people between the ages of 10-24, expanding learning, skill development, employment and engagement opportunities.

The India chapter of Generation Unlimited — YuWaah — was launched in November 2019.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)