COP29 Youth Climate Champion for Azerbaijan, Leyla Hasanova, stated that the agenda on climate change is beginning to take shape.

Speaking at the "High-Level National Event on Climate Change and Children," part of the "Baku Climate Action Week," Hasanova emphasized the importance of placing children at the center of dialogues about climate change, Azernews reports.

"Children are our future. The strategies we create should ensure a happy future for us and our children. I believe that investments in human capital should increase, and the issues raised by COP29 should be integrated into schools and other institutions," she said.

During the event, the newly appointed UNICEF representative to Azerbaijan, Saja Faruq Abdullah, noted that 1 billion children worldwide live in high-risk countries due to climate change.

She pointed out that the climate crisis is a matter of children's rights: "1 billion children live in high-risk countries due to climate change. For the past 30 years, children have not received adequate attention, but in the last 2 years, there has been growing awareness of the impact of climate change on children."

A UNICEF official added that climate change affects children's mental development: "Additionally, children may be deprived of educational opportunities. Climate change causes 88% of diseases, impacting children under the age of 5. All these statistics demonstrate that the effects of climate change on children are significant."

Maria Osbek, UNICEF's regional adviser on sustainability and climate, highlighted that 96% of children breathe polluted air.

According to her, 160 million children in Europe and Central Asia are classified as being at high or medium-high risk due to the effects of climate change: "In 2021, 6,400 children died at an early age due to air pollution, with 85% of them not reaching their first birthday. One in ten children is at risk of facing river floods."

A UNICEF official noted that 53% of children live in areas vulnerable to water scarcity.

Osbek emphasized the need for awareness regarding climate change and the importance of building skills for a green transition, establishing a climate-resilient education system, installing greener and safer facilities, and conducting climate events led by young people.