Putting young children at the center of environmental and climate change actions: the role of ECD

Putting young children at the center of environmental and climate change actions: the role of early childhood development
Date: February 17, 2022
Time: 1:00pm Singapore time
Language: English

This webinar aimed to kickstart ARNEC, UNICEF EAPRO and Save the Children’s Asia-Pacific regional initiative around advocating for young children’s rights to clean, safe and sustainable environments, focused on climate change and environmental risks/challenges (indoor and outdoor pollution, a lack of clean and protective play and recreation spaces and exposure to environmental toxins such as lead and mercury).

It introduced the building blocks for the initiative, explored the interlinkages among ECD, climate change and other environmental risks focusing on the vulnerability of the youngest children to these two challenges, how they have been excluded in global discourse and actions such as COP26, and why ECD provides an opportunity to build resilience, adaptation and mitigation for sustainable development.

The webinar aimed to have participants from both the ECD sector (health, nutrition, care and education) who may be working with ECD and involved in policy-making, planning, implementing and environmental and climate change experts, to bridge the gap and learn more about the intersection between sustainable development and ECD, and how to involve the youngest children in climate and environmental responses.

The objectives were:
(1) To understand the linkages between climate change, environmental risks and ECD and why ECD is an opportunity to build resilience, adaptation and mitigation for sustainable development
(2) To outline what ARNEC and partners will be doing over the next three years to support the youngest children in the region to address the impact of environment and climate challenges

Moderator: Rajib Ghosal
Speakers: Dr. Sheldon Shaeffer, Dr. Adrian Cerezo, Evelyn Santiago, Peckgee Chua, Anamaria Rodriquez.