In a new report, Prospects for Children 2025: Building Resilient Systems for Children’s Futures, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has identified the main worldwide trends that will affect children’s lives over the next year and beyond: conflict, economic instability, and climate change.
The report estimates that over 473 million children are living in conflict-affected areas, which is almost double since the 1990s. With increasing post-Cold War geopolitics and violation of civilian protection international laws, attacks on schools, hospitals, and other primary infrastructure have risen, with the risk of children not only being killed but also displaced, suffering from starvation, disease, and psychological trauma. This report highlights that as the multilateral system struggles to respond effectively, there is a need for a more collaborative and persistent effort to reverse what has been lost in the last few years.
Economic uncertainty is another threat equal to conflict emphasized in the UNICEF report. For more than 400 million children in developing countries, debt distress, where costs have outpaced spending on essential areas like education, healthcare, and sanitation, is greatly impacting the quality of life. This figure is only set to rise without major reforms, pushing hundreds of thousands of children into poverty and thus out of a chance to do better.
Children are increasingly affected by the climate crisis, as climate-related disasters become a growing threat. Common climate impacts include extreme temperatures and water scarcity, which have further worsened food insecurity and inequitable access to clean water. The consequences of these weather events are often lifelong and irreversible; they displace families and severely affect children’s physical and mental health. In 2025, climate governance will require countries to update their national climate action plans, and the first expert dialogue on climate change’s impact on children will highlight the need to include child-focused policies in health, education, and WASH plans.
Digital technologies are fast expanding to offer educational and economic opportunities for children. However, inequalities exist, and low-income countries are often excluded from such opportunities. The development of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) has the ability to change the way that governments and private stakeholders can ensure that all children benefit from essential services, regardless of their geographic or economic status, by eliminating the digital divide.
However, the question remains as to how nations and institutions will tackle shared global crises in the future: will they join their efforts, or will fragmentation only weaken the overall response? The answer will determine the initiatives that are made to protect children’s rights and health. UNICEF highlights the need to strengthen national systems as a priority, building on principles of inclusion, equity, and accountability to ensure every child gets the support they need.
“The cost of not protecting and investing in the next generation will not only be paid in terms of lost potential, but also in terms of lives,” the report warns.
By Angel Kanda