Children face bleak future, says Unicef report

Demographic shifts, worsening climate change and rapid technological transformation risk creating a bleak future for youth in the mid-21st century, the UN agency for children warned on Nov 19 in an annual report.

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"Children are experiencing a myriad of crises, from climate shocks to online dangers, and these are set to intensify in the years to come," Ms Catherine Russell, executive director of Unicef, wrote in a statement marking the release of the agency's annual report. "Decades of progress, particularly for girls, are under threat." In 2024, Unicef uses its report to project forward to 2050 identifying three "major trends" that, in addition to unpredictable conflicts, pose threats to children unless policymakers make changes. The first risk is demographic change, with the number of children expected to remain similar to current figures of 2.3 billion, but they will represent a smaller share of the larger and ageing global population of aroun