Climate activist Oumou Hawa Diallo appointed UNICEF Guinea Youth Advocate.

CONAKRY, 05 JUNE 2023 – Guinean climate and environmental activist Oumou Hawa Diallo, 23, has been appointed UNICEF Guinea Youth Advocate, confirming her collaboration with the organization, and recognizing her commitment to climate justice for present and future generations.

Oumou has been concerned about climate and the environment since she was a child, and noticed that the effects of global warming were already evident in her family’s village: “The rivers were drying up, the rain were becoming scarce, the heat was becoming more and more scorching,” she explained.

In 2018, Oumou co-founded the NGO Agir contre le réchauffement climatique (ACOREC), which works to reforest and preserve the Kakimbo classified forest, the ‘green lung of Conakry’. Members of the NGO also raise awareness among Guinean businesses and young people about the importance of protecting the environment and the consequences of global warming.

Oumou became involved with UNICEF in 2021, joining the ‘Young Voices of the Sahel’ initiative to defend children’s rights and raise the voice of Guinean youth at the highest level.

In 2022, she was able to advocate for the involvement of African youth in decision-making on climate issues at COP27, at the Africa-Europe Week organized by the European Union, at the 66^th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, and at the 6^th edition of the Global Social Economy Forum.

“In Guinea, the impact of climate change is causing torrential rains, violent winds, heat waves and bush fires, depriving children of their most basic rights and affecting their health, safety, education and future. As a UNICEF Youth Advocate, my main responsibility is to ensure that the voices of these children and marginalized people are heard in the debates from which they have sometimes been excluded,” said Oumou. “We must also succeed in making every child a climate ambassador, so that they in turn can change certain behaviors around them and become adults committed to the well-being of the planet and humanity”.

Worldwide, about one billion children – nearly half of the world’s 2.2 billion children – live in one of 33 countries where they are at extremely high risk of suffering the effects of climate change, according to UNICEF’s Climate Risk Index for Children – a situation that threatens their health, education and protection, and exposes them to life-threatening diseases. The top ten countries are all in Africa, with Guinea in 4^th place.

In Guinea, water shortages during periods of droughts destroy crops and lead to child malnutrition. Three out of ten children under the age of five, (approximately 750,000 children) suffer from chronic malnutrition in Guinea. Bush fires and uncontrolled deforestation cause populations to move in search of new land, new roofs and new sources of income, sometimes creating tensions of which children are the first victims. The country also suffers from periods of high winds and torrential rains that cause severe flooding, depriving children of access to basic social services such as education and good health.

“I would like to congratulate Oumou for her commitment to UNICEF in defending children’s Right and for bringing the voice of young Guineans to the forefront, especially on climate issues,” said Felix Ackebo, UNICEF Representative in Guinea. “Young people have immense potential to benefit their societies socially, politically and economically. They are also the champions for mobilizing their peers around issues they are passionate about. To realize children’s rights, decision-makers, including adults, businesses and world leaders must work with children and youth as agents of change.”

Young people under the age of 20 represent about 55.5% of the population living of Guinea. UNICEF is committed to helping Guinean youth take action to protect their future and the planet, by giving them a stronger voice and encouraging them to participate in the fight against climate change and to preserve the environment.

The climate crisis is a crisis of children’s rights. While the current outlook is very worrying, it is still possible to act and remain optimistic. UNICEF is committed to addressing the climate challenges faced by children to protect their rights and ensure their well-being. UNICEF works with governments, partners and local communities to build resilience to natural disasters, and to mitigate the impact of climate change on children’s health, access to safe water and sanitation, education and protection.