Children and youth are leading the call for urgent climate action at the COP27 Climate Change Conference underway at Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. Among them is climate activist and UNICEF Bangladesh Youth Advocate Farzana Faruk Jhumu. As a member of the official UNICEF delegation to COP27, Farzana moderated the event “At the frontline: Children and adolescent led action for climate change”. As part of the COP27 Youth and Future Generations Day on 10 November, the event celebrated youth power and participation at the global climate change conference. Read more: COP27: Developed countries keen to fund vulnerable countries, says Hasan Mahmud “We had enough of your promises and we need these words to be put into action now,” said Farzana Faruk Jhumu in a passionate statement. “This is our time. I am calling on children and young people to join us in speaking up and to act to tackle the climate crisis with whatever resources they have,” she added. Bangladesh is one of the countries most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, despite being among the lowest per-capita greenhouse gas emitting countries in the world. One in three children in the Bangladesh – nearly 20 million children – are already affected by climate change every day. Without urgent action, virtually every child in the country will be harmed by extreme weather, floods, river erosion, sea level rise, and other environmental shocks driven by climate change. Children are at ever-greater risk of being pushed into exploitive child labour, child marriage and trafficking. Read more: Adapting to climate change is the main focus of COP27: Info Minister “Children are at the forefront of an emergency that is not of their making. It is high time we recognize climate change as a child rights crisis. As Farzana Faruk Jhumu and youth from across the globe raise their voices at COP27, UNICEF stands with them in their appeal for urgent and meaningful action,” said Sheldon Yett, UNICEF Representative to Bangladesh. As world leaders debate on climate policy and action at COP27, UNICEF urges them to protect children against the impacts of climate change, reduce pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, and give children and young people the space to be part of solutions.

The 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) began on Monday at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) in Glasgow with a mission to unite the world to tackle climate change and its adverse impacts. The United Kingdom is hosting this year’s COP26 event where world leaders have gathered with the aim of securing global net zero carbon emissions by mid-century and keeping global warming below 1.5ºC. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is also the President of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF), joined the event with other world leaders. On her arrival at the programme venue, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson welcomed her. READ: COP26 must deliver a better future for everyone Hasina arrived in Scotland on Sunday (Oct 31) to attend the conference dubbed the United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties. Her daughter Saima Wazed Hossain, Thematic Ambassador of CVF, is also accompanying her. Hasina will deliver her speech after the inauguration ceremony of COP26. The first COP meeting was held in Berlin, Germany in 1995, and was dubbed COP1. At COPs, nations come together to assess global progress towards tackling climate change. READ: PM arrives in Scotland to attend COP26  The COP26 climate summit comes six years after the Paris Agreement was signed by over 190 countries to limit the rise of global temperatures to well below 2C with a view of reaching 1.5C. According to the UN, global temperatures are currently set to rise to 2.7C. Scientists are clear that emissions must halve by 2030 to keep the aims made in Paris within reach.