Ref: 34/2023

Date:22 June 2023

On Thursday, 22 June 2023, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) concluded five training courses on “Child Rights and Climate Change”. The courses were attended by 141 male and female children from the General Assembly of Palestine’s Children Council – Gaza Strip that is under PCHR’s supervision.

The five training courses were held throughout the Gaza Strip governorates from 04 to 22 June 2023 as part of the World Environment Day activities to commemorate the 50^th anniversary of this occasion which was designated by the United Nations to be celebrated by the world each year on 5 June. World Environment Day puts a spotlight on the environmental challenges threatening life on Earth, raises worldwide awareness and engages them in the effort to protect the environment under the theme for this year “Beat Plastic Pollution”.

The training aims to introduce children to climate change and future damages resulting from the environmental pollution, that puts their future and lives at risk, jeopardizes their rights and prevents them from living in a clean, healthy and secure environment as Palestinians, especially children, live in the occupied Palestinian Territory (oPt) The training also introduced children to the first national report on climate change submitted to the UN Framework Convention that has focused on the environmental impacts triggered by the ongoing Israeli illegal and inhuman closure on the Gaza Strip, the ban on entry of equipment necessary for the establishment of central wastewater treatment plants and the power outages for long hours. All of this combined has disrupted wastewater treatment and led to discharging this untreated wastewater into the sea, thereby polluting seawater and shore and affecting vacationers’ health as well as banning swimming in the contaminated areas.

The training program included several topics on the general concepts of climate and weather change, climate change reasons and effects, international conventions on climate change, including UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and Kyoto Protocol, children’s role in alleviating the effects of climate change on their rights and most important children-led initiatives to limit these effects.

Coinciding with those training courses, the children participants held 3 accountability sessions with officials and decision makers at the Ministries of Local Governance, Tourism and Agriculture in the Gaza Strip. The sessions addressed the three Ministries’ plans to confront climate change, adaptation plans to protect the agricultural sector, as well as their interest in green spaces and child safe play areas.

Such sessions aimed at raising children’s awareness on their role in protecting the environment and supporting the sustainable development approach, as well as encouraging officials in all ministries to involve children in the planning process, especially in those relevant to environmental issues and their recreational activities.

It is worth noting that after the conclusion of these trainings, the Palestine Children’s Council will prepare plans and lead initiatives to shed the light on climate change issues and effects on child rights.

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These training courses come under the project “Strengthening the Role of CSOs to Fulfill Children’s Rights,” which is a collaboration between PCHR and Save the Children in coordination with CBOs and is funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA)