Ukrainian children at UNESCO children’s camp. World Children’s Day: Children face difficult future, warns UNICEF Sustainable Development Goals
The well-being of future generations of children could be at risk unless urgent action is taken to protect their rights in a changing world, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warns in a new report released on World Children’s Day, November 20.
The annual State of the World’s Children 2024 report analyses how three major global forces will affect the lives of children by 2050 and beyond. These “megatrends” include demographic change, the climate and environmental crisis, and the rise of advanced technologies.
Listen to the Future
This year, the theme of World Children’s Day is “Listen to the Future.” In preparation for the day, UNICEF asked children to write letters about what they would like the world to be like in 2050. Responses came from all over the world, including Gaza, Haiti and Tanzania. In their letters, children expressed their desire to live in safety, to be educated, to be healthy and to be protected from wars and dangerous climate events.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres noted that this year’s theme is a reminder that “we must hear the voices of children who are fighting for their rights and, in doing so, for the future of humanity.”
“It is appalling that in the 21st century there are still children who go hungry, who are not getting an education, or who are deprived of even the most basic health care,” the UN chief stressed in his message. “The conscience of humanity cannot rest easy when children’s lives are ground up by poverty, when disasters turn their lives upside down, or when children are killed or maimed by violence in conflicts.”
Climate Change
According to the UNICEF report, climate and environmental crises will be more widespread between 2050 and 2059. The number of children exposed to extreme heat waves will increase eightfold compared to the 2000s. In addition, three times more children will be exposed to floods and almost twice as many will be at risk of extreme wildfires.
Climate change threatens access to water, food and education, especially for children in vulnerable regions such as Central Asia.
The extent to which children are affected by climate hazards will depend on their age, health, socioeconomic conditions and access to resources. For example, a child with access to adequate housing, cooling infrastructure, health care, education and clean water is more likely to survive shocks. The report stresses the need to take action to protect all children and mitigate the risks they face.
Demographics
The report notes that the world’s population continues to age, with the number of children expected to decline in all regions. Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia are projected to have the largest child populations in the 2050s. In East Asia and Western Europe, where children accounted for 29 and 20 percent of the population, respectively, in the 2000s, this figure has already fallen below 17 percent.
In the Europe and Central Asia region, the proportion of children could fall below 20 percent, down from 29 percent in the 2000s, requiring a rethink of how they are met.
These demographic shifts pose challenges that require some countries to expand services for children, while others focus on the needs of the growing number of older people.
However, whether the proportion of children is declining or not, their needs and rights must remain a priority. Education, health care, and social services must be available to every child.
New Technologies
UNICEF experts acknowledge that advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) pose both potential benefits and risks for children, who already interact with AI algorithms embedded in apps, games and educational programs. At the same time, a huge digital divide remains. In 2024, more than 95 percent of the population in high-income countries had access to the internet, compared with about 26 percent in low-income countries.
The report also notes that a significant proportion of young people in low- and middle-income countries struggle to acquire digital literacy skills, which will impact their ability to use technology effectively and responsibly in education and their future workplaces. These barriers are often related to socioeconomic factors, gender, language proficiency and lack of access for people with disabilities.
Progress is being made
UNICEF predicts that life expectancy will increase, as well as a continued trend towards expanding access to education. In the 2050s, about 96 percent of the world’s children are expected to have at least a primary education, up from 80 percent in the 2000s. The report also notes that children’s lives could be significantly improved by increasing funding for education and health care and creating stronger environmental protections.