Guiding Principles for Children on the Move in the Context of Climate Change.

The impact of climate-related migration and displacement on children and youth is often overlooked in policy-making. In 2020 UNICEF and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) hosted a virtual symposium to recommend developing Guiding Principles to safeguard the rights and well-being of children and youth moving due to climate change. These principles, grounded in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and other international legal frameworks, aim to guide local and national governments, international organizations, and civil society groups.

The principles cover all children affected by climate-related movement, whether internal or international, temporary or permanent, accompanied or unaccompanied, and through regular or irregular means. They also apply to children who do not move but are affected by the migration of others. The development of these Guiding Principles incorporates insights from various international conventions, operational guidelines, and recent legal cases to ensure comprehensive protection and support for children in the context of climate change.