A Pillar of World Vision’s Climate Action: Advocacy for Climate Justice:
World Vision is dedicated to addressing climate change, one of the greatest challenges for the children and communities with whom we work. By partnering with communities, we aim to boost disaster readiness, enhance financial stability, create resilient food systems, and restore native forests. At the same time, advocating for robust government action is crucial, driving systemic changes that facilitate a fair and sustainable future for children.
Climate change is a present reality affecting communities worldwide, particularly those least responsible for carbon pollution. Children bear the brunt of these impacts, facing violations of their basic human rights, including access to health, water, education, and life itself. Many children struggle to protect themselves from environmental hazards, often dropping out of school, engaging in child labour, or entering early marriage to support their families as they adapt to a warming world. Despite being the least responsible for climate change, children are among the most affected and frequently excluded from decision-making processes.
When it comes to climate change, advocacy strengthens our efforts to support communities in adapting to climate impacts (adaptation) and reducing their pollution (mitigation). By advocating for fair policies and governing bodies, we can:
Including Children and Young People in Decision-making
World Vision believes in the importance of including children in climate decision-making. Children offer unique insights based on their lived experiences, crucial for shaping effective climate policies. We advocate for the establishment of child advisory committees, support for children to participate in key decisions, and the explicit inclusion of children’s rights in climate agreements.
Climate Mobility from the Pacific to Aotearoa New Zealand
World Vision supports fair and dignified solutions for people on the move because of climate change. Pacific nations, such as Tuvalu and Kiribati, face dire threats from rising sea levels and extreme storms, potentially rendering entire islands uninhabitable. We believe in providing families with options to either stay and adapt in place or migrate with dignity, ensuring children's rights to education, health, and well-being are protected while preserving their cultural identity and heritage.
Climate Finance
Equitable climate finance is critical for helping unfairly impacted communities adapt to a warming world. We advocate for wealthy countries the most responsible for climate change to provide their fair share of funding to those least responsible but most affected. We call for stronger finance for the Pacific, transparency in fund allocation, and the provision of grants instead of loans to avoid trapping low-income countries in cycles of debt.
Other Advocacy
World Vision also contributes to climate action by submitting input on key government policies, supporting other climate groups and NGOs in achieving their goals, and speaking up in the media to raise awareness and drive urgent action on climate issues.
Climate change is a present reality affecting communities worldwide, particularly those least responsible for carbon pollution. Children bear the brunt of these impacts, facing violations of their basic human rights, including access to health, water, education, and life itself. Many children struggle to protect themselves from environmental hazards, often dropping out of school, engaging in child labour, or entering early marriage to support their families as they adapt to a warming world. Despite being the least responsible for climate change, children are among the most affected and frequently excluded from decision-making processes.
Advocacy for Climate Justice
World Vision views advocacy as essential for safeguarding children from the worst impacts of climate change. Advocacy involves influencing key leaders, laws, policies, and practices to promote transformative change, encouraging beliefs and behaviours that promote justice and well-being for children. Our evidence-based advocacy supports leaders in upholding human rights, remaining non-partisan, and being ready to speak truth to power.When it comes to climate change, advocacy strengthens our efforts to support communities in adapting to climate impacts (adaptation) and reducing their pollution (mitigation). By advocating for fair policies and governing bodies, we can:
- Unlock opportunities to boost climate adaptation through fair financing for the most impacted countries, enabling better preparation and recovery from extreme weather events.
- Hold states accountable for reducing their carbon pollution to prevent dangerous planetary heating and create a liveable future.
- Support children in accessing decision-making spaces to have a say in the decisions that affect them. We partner with those who have lived experience, especially children, supporting them to be change agents. We advocate at national, regional, and global levels for evidence-based changes in policies, laws, and systems related to climate change. Considering Te Tiriti o Waitangi and wider cultural perspectives is important to us when deciding our approach.
Our Focus for Action
Climate change is a children's crisis, and addressing it requires urgent, collective action. We know that by working together, can create a brighter, fairer future for everyone, particularly children. So, we are hard at work designing advocacy actions and campaigns that target the most important issues worldwide.Including Children and Young People in Decision-making
World Vision believes in the importance of including children in climate decision-making. Children offer unique insights based on their lived experiences, crucial for shaping effective climate policies. We advocate for the establishment of child advisory committees, support for children to participate in key decisions, and the explicit inclusion of children’s rights in climate agreements.
Climate Mobility from the Pacific to Aotearoa New Zealand
World Vision supports fair and dignified solutions for people on the move because of climate change. Pacific nations, such as Tuvalu and Kiribati, face dire threats from rising sea levels and extreme storms, potentially rendering entire islands uninhabitable. We believe in providing families with options to either stay and adapt in place or migrate with dignity, ensuring children's rights to education, health, and well-being are protected while preserving their cultural identity and heritage.
Climate Finance
Equitable climate finance is critical for helping unfairly impacted communities adapt to a warming world. We advocate for wealthy countries the most responsible for climate change to provide their fair share of funding to those least responsible but most affected. We call for stronger finance for the Pacific, transparency in fund allocation, and the provision of grants instead of loans to avoid trapping low-income countries in cycles of debt.
Other Advocacy
World Vision also contributes to climate action by submitting input on key government policies, supporting other climate groups and NGOs in achieving their goals, and speaking up in the media to raise awareness and drive urgent action on climate issues.