Statement from UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell at the conclusion of COP29

NEW YORK (November 24, 2024) - "UNICEF stands ready to work with governments, partners, and the private sector to ensure that the new $300 billion climate finance target agreed today at COP29 is met, and that it is followed by concrete climate action - action which is desperately needed by the world's 2.4 billion children to protect their rights, lives and futures.

"We welcome partners' efforts to emphasize the unique and disproportionate impacts of climate change on children in the Global Goal on Adaptation. This agreement is a positive response to the demands made by children and young people at COP29.

"As we look ahead, we encourage all countries to use the coming weeks and months to increase their ambition in their new national climate plans - also known as National Determined Contributions 3.0 - and in their National Adaptation Plans. It is essential that these plans prioritize the rights and wellbeing of children.

"Children cannot afford for world leaders to backtrack on their promises when storms are destroying their schools, wildfires are harming their lungs, their homes and health services are being washed away, and life-sustaining crops are dying from droughts.

"We urge world leaders to begin work immediately to ensure the world can reconvene at COP30 with the sense of urgency and ambition required to meet our promises to the world's children."

###

ABOUT UNICEF USA

UNICEF USA advances the global mission of UNICEF by rallying the American public to support the world's most vulnerable children. Together, we are working toward a world that upholds the rights of all children and helps every child thrive. For more information, visit www.unicefusa.org.

For more information please contact:
Jenna Buraczenski, UNICEF USA, (917) 720-1432, [email protected]