{"id":4459,"date":"2012-05-16T09:23:12","date_gmt":"2012-05-16T09:23:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rtcc.org\/?p=4459"},"modified":"2012-05-17T11:04:31","modified_gmt":"2012-05-17T11:04:31","slug":"unicef-learning-how-to-reach-out-to-urban-children-on-disaster-reduction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.climatechangenews.com\/2012\/05\/16\/unicef-learning-how-to-reach-out-to-urban-children-on-disaster-reduction\/","title":{"rendered":"UNICEF: We must teach urban kids how to deal with disasters"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Tierney Smith<\/a><\/strong>
\nRTCC in Bonn\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Children are not only most vulnerable to climate change and disasters but a big part of the solutions (\u00a9 EDV Media Director\/Creative Commons)<\/p><\/div>\n

Half of the urban population are children \u2013 below the age of 18 \u2013 and therefore will be some of the most vulnerable people to climate change and disasters.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It is expected that as many as 175 million children could soon be impacted by disasters every year.<\/p>\n

But with the right engagement of children, who make up 50% of city-based\u00a0populations, Antony Spalton from UNICEF believes they could also be a huge part of the solution.<\/p>\n

Speaking to RTCC at the ICLEI Resilient Cities conference 2012 he said: \u201cI think the key issue is that half of the population in urban centres are children and I think typically people tend to think of children as vulnerable victims who live with high levels of disaster risk, but in actual fact children have intrinsic values on risk and have a lot to offer reducing risk in cities.\u201d<\/p>\n

With the world expecting to see huge moves of populations towards urban areas \u2013 with around 50-60% more people living in cities by 2050 \u2013 NGOs and aid agencies working with children will have to find new ways to engage.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe experience coming out of the last 30 years in aid and development and humanitarian work has been in the rural areas and I do believe we are not as well equipped as we should be in dealing with what are going to be huge huge disasters in urban areas,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to revisit some of the methodologies and tools we use on how we reach out to children in urban areas.\u201d<\/p>\n