Children’s well-being ‘under threat’ in 2050, UNICEF warns

Demographic shifts, worsening climate change and rapid technological transformation risk creating a bleak future for youth in the mid-21st century, the United Nations children’s agency warned in an annual report on Tuesday.

“Children are experiencing a myriad of crises, from climate shocks to cyber risks, and these are set to intensify in the coming years,” Kathryn Russell, executive director of the International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), wrote in a statement. publication of the organization’s annual report.

“Decades of progress, especially for girls, are at risk.”

The report was published by the UN children’s agency a day before International Children’s Day.

The day has been celebrated every year on November 20 since 1954, when the UN designated this day to promote international cohesion, raise awareness of children around the world and improve children’s well-being.

This year, UNICEF is using its report to forecast 2050 by identifying three “major trends” that, in addition to unpredictable conflicts, pose threats to children unless policymakers make changes.

The first risk is demographic change, with the number of children expected to remain similar to today’s numbers of 2.3 billion, but they will represent a smaller share of the larger and aging global population of around 10 billion.

While the proportion of children will decline in all regions, their numbers will explode in some of the poorest regions, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.

This offers the potential to stimulate economic growth, but only if the new young population has access to quality education, health care and jobs, UNICEF notes.

In some developed countries, children could make up less than 10% of the population by 2050, raising concerns about their “visibility” and rights in societies focused on aging populations.

The second threat is climate change.

If current trends in greenhouse gas emissions continue, by 2050 children will face eight times more heatwaves than in 2000, three times more extreme floods and 1.7 times more fires, UNICEF projects.

New technology, particularly artificial intelligence, has the potential to fuel new innovations and progress, but it could also widen existing inequalities between rich and poor countries.

An estimated 95% of people in developed countries have access to the internet, compared to just 26% in less developed countries, often due to a lack of electricity, connectivity or devices.

“Failure to remove barriers for children in these countries, especially those living in the poorest households, means letting an already disadvantaged generation fall even further behind,” according to UNICEF.

The connection also carries risks. The uncontrolled spread of new technologies poses threats to children and their personal data, making them vulnerable to online predators.

“The children of the future face many risks, but what we wanted to show is that the solutions are in the hands of today’s decision makers,” said Cecile Aptel, UNICEF’s deputy director of research. AFP.