Bangkok, November 5, 2025

In just a few days, the COP30 United Nations Climate Change Conference will commence in Belém, Brazil, from November 10–21, 2025. Amidst global expectations, Save the Children Thailand is calling for this year to be a “decisive turning point.” It is time for world leaders to collectively acknowledge a fundamental truth: the global boiling crisis is not merely an environmental issue—it is a child rights crisis.

Children today are facing a world changing with unprecedented speed and severity. Extreme weather is becoming the "new normal." According to Save the Children’s research, children born today will experience heatwaves 6.8 times more frequently than previous generations. They are growing up amidst intensifying storms, floods, toxic dust, droughts, and climate-related diseases that worsen every year—impacts felt most acutely by marginalized groups, including migrant children, stateless children, and those from impoverished families.

Save the Children Thailand demands that COP30 transcends being a mere technical meeting or a platform for political negotiations. It must be a space that recognizes children at the heart of this crisis—both as the most affected victims and as powerful leaders of change. Children have the right to grow up in a safe environment and to be protected from disasters they did not create. They deserve the right to access information, education, resilient public services, and to have a meaningful seat at the table in shaping policies that will define their future.

In Thailand, many children and youth are standing up to speak about the realities they face daily, offering concrete solutions through local action and advocacy. Their efforts range from establishing community flood warning centers and creating safe spaces during disasters to pushing for fair and inclusive Clean Air legislation. They are calling for decentralized water and disaster management systems, the review of large-scale development projects that threaten local livelihoods and ecosystems, and the integration of climate change into school and university curricula. These young leaders are not just making demands; they are presenting clear, credible, and actionable "blueprints" for change.

Simultaneously, Save the Children Thailand works closely with communities to ensure children and families are prepared for a world that has fundamentally changed. We support resilient learning even during crises, equip youth with skills for the green economy, advocate regarding the health impacts of rising temperatures on children, and reduce risks for those in disaster-prone areas. We believe that true change happens when children and families are empowered and ready to respond to climate volatility.

Guillaume Rachou, Executive Director of Save the Children Thailand, stated

“Children today do not just need protection; they want and deserve the right to meaningful participation in every policy-making and decision-making process that affects their future. While adults are the ones negotiating, children are the ones who must live with the consequences of those decisions for the rest of their lives. We see many Thai children who not only understand the complexities of climate change but also propose creative and viable solutions across education, environment, health, and safety. What they lack is the ‘space’ and the ‘power’ to turn those ideas into effective policy.”

“COP30 must therefore be more than just setting new targets or issuing beautiful declarations. It must be the turning point where every nation acknowledges that the climate crisis is a child rights crisis. If we want a safe and equitable future, we must begin by listening to children, acting on their proposals, and ensuring climate policies respond to the specific challenges faced by youth in their local contexts. We must build systems that value the voices of children as much as those of adults. This is not about giving children an ‘opportunity’—it is about restoring a right they should have had all along.”