Demographic shifts, worsening climate change and rapid technological transformation risk creating a bleak future for youth in the mid-21st century, the United Nations agency for children warned Tuesday in an annual report.
“Children are experiencing a myriad of crises, from climate shocks to online dangers, and these are set to intensify in the years to come,” Catherine Russell, executive director of United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), wrote in a statement marking the release of the agency’s annual report.
“Decades of progress, particularly for girls, are under threat.”
The report was released by the UN agency for children a day before the World Children’s Day.
This day is commemorated every year on November 20 since 1954 when the UN designated this day to promote international togetherness, awareness among children worldwide, and improving children’s welfare.
This year, UNICEF uses its report to project forward to 2050 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 current figures of 2.3 billion, but they will represent a smaller share of the larger and ageing global population of around 10 billion.
While the proportion of children will decline across all regions, their numbers will explode in some of the poorest areas, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.
This offers the potential to boost economic growth, but only if the new young population has access to quality education, health care, and jobs, UNICEF notes.
