At the beginning of each year, UNICEF predicts the risks children may face and suggests ways to reduce potential harm. Our latest report, Children’s Perspectives 2025: Building resilient systems for children’s futures, aims to reduce the impact of crises on children and ensure they get the support they need. We are calling for the strengthening of the national system that has been established.
Here’s a breakdown of the key trends to watch in 2025.
Number of children living in conflict areas doubles
Escalating armed conflicts will continue to pose serious risks to children in 2025. The intensity of conflict and violence is also increasing.
More than 473 million children, more than one in six children worldwide, now live in conflict-affected areas, making the world more conflict-affected than at any time since World War II. . The proportion of children around the world living in conflict areas has doubled from around 10% in the 1990s to almost 19% today.
Amid escalating geopolitical conflicts and the paralysis of multilateral institutions, both state and non-state actors appear increasingly willing to ignore international law aimed at protecting civilians, and Attacks on civilian infrastructure such as
The collapse of decades of efforts to protect civilians is placing a heavy burden on children. Children not only face risks to their lives, but also the threat of displacement, hunger and disease. Their psychological health is also at great risk.
The multilateral system is struggling to respond effectively. Recovering the losses of recent years will require a concerted and sustained effort.
© UNICEF/Vincent Tremaud
Children eat lunch in a village in Tagal, Chad.
financial system is not working
Governments in developing countries are finding it increasingly difficult to finance vital investments in children due to slowing growth, rising debt, and inadequate tax revenues and development aid. Masu.
Another important factor is the increasing burden of sovereign debt. Nearly 400 million children live in debt-stricken countries, and without major reforms, this number will rise. The cost of servicing this debt is squeezing essential investments in children.
In 2025, we face important decisions about reforming the framework of institutions, policies, rules and practices that govern the global financial system.
October 2024 in Tabatinga, Amazon, Brazil.
Irreversible effects of the climate crisis
Children are disproportionately affected by climate change, and the effects on their development, health, education and well-being can be lifelong and irreversible.
2025 presents an important opportunity to make progress towards global climate goals. This means comprehensive and robust policymaking, adequate and fair financing and investment, strong regulatory and accountability frameworks, and effective monitoring systems.
Improving access to digital services
Several digital trends are shaping our future in 2025 and beyond. Rapid advances in emerging technologies will continue to shape every area of children’s lives, from education to communication to participation in the digital economy.
One important trend is the emergence of digital public infrastructure (DPI). DPI is a set of shared digital systems that can provide equitable access to public and private services. This enables the delivery of digital public services at scale, including for children, and is currently being rapidly adopted around the world.
DPI has the potential to fundamentally change the way governments serve and engage with their citizens, including children. It can also be central to promoting rules that promote development, inclusion, trust, innovation and respect for human rights.
However, persistent inequalities in digital access, particularly in least developed countries, are a major barrier to ensuring that DPIs can serve all children. There are also issues around ensuring data harmonization across systems and ensuring adequate data protection and security.
Youth Advocates at the 2023 G20 Meeting (File)
Global governance under pressure
New and ongoing crises will continue to challenge the future of global governance.
In 2025, states and institutions will grapple with the critical question of whether the world’s multilateral frameworks will come together to form a cohesive response to common challenges, or risk further fragmentation and loss of collective action. Must be.
The direction we take will have a major impact on efforts to protect the rights and welfare of children around the world.
Children’s rights must always be at the forefront
The conclusion drawn by the report’s authors is that it is critical to introduce and promote systems that improve children’s lives and futures.
These systems must embody the principles of inclusion, equity and accountability and ensure that children’s rights and needs are always at the forefront. And just as importantly, we must not only meet current global challenges, but also anticipate and prepare for future challenges.
