10 November 2015: An estimated 11 million children are at risk from hunger, disease and lack of water in Eastern and Southern Africa alone as a result of a strengthening El Niño, according to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF). The report, titled ‘A Wake-Up Call: El Niño’s Impact on Children,’ discusses the effects of the weather phenomenon on children’s mental and physical health, education and safety. It also looks at some of the regions affected, and highlights specific countries most impacted by El Niño events, such as Somalia, Ethiopia, Peru, Ecuador and Indonesia.

In addition, the report describes UNICEF’s activities and what more can be done to protect populations from the impacts of El Niño, including: better planning and investments in preparedness and risk reduction; awareness-raising programmes in schools, homes and communities; and healthcare, nutrition support, and safe water and sanitation.

According to UNICEF, while El Niño events are not caused by climate change, they are becoming more intense as a result of it. UNICEF notes that when such events affect communities, young children often suffer from undernutrition, which leaves them more vulnerable to illness, delayed mental development and premature death. UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake stated that such impacts should be a wake-up call for leaders in Paris, expressing the hope that they would recall “that the future of today’s children and of the planet they will inherit is at stake.” [UNICEF Press Release] [Publication: A Wake-Up Call: El Niño’s Impact on Children] [UN Press Release]