United Nations: Floods threaten 27 million children around the world

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said that the floods affected at least 27.7 million children in 27 countries around the world.

The number of children affected by floods in Chad, Gambia, Pakistan and northeastern Bangladesh is the highest in more than 30 years, the UN agency said.

The vast majority of affected children were among the most vulnerable, UNICEF said in a statement.

The statement said disasters are straining the ability of governments and the international community to respond, given the sheer scale of the need.

With millions of children at grave risk of hunger, disease, exploitation and death, the organization is calling on delegates at COP27 to commit funding to protect children from the devastating effects of the climate crisis.

UNICEF says this year’s floods have contributed to an increase in the prevalence of killer diseases for children, such as malnutrition, malaria and cholera, and that their effects are often more deadly for children than extreme weather events that have caused flooding.