INTRODUCTION

1. LESSONS FOR INCLUSION OF CHILDREN AS STAKEHOLDERS IN SOCIAL, ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL DEVELOPMENT Antoinette Lombard University of Pretoria, South Africa antoinette.lombard@up.ac.za André ViviersSenior Social Policy Specialist UNICEF, South Africa aviviers@unicef.org Social Work Social Development 2012: Action and Impact Conference Stockholm 8 - 12 July 2012

2. The potential inequity to be caused by climate change should be addressed within the broader development context with specific reference to the 1992 Rio Declaration on Environment and Development (United Nations, 1992) principle 3 that states that “[T] he right to development must be fulfilled so as to equitably meet developmental and environmental needs of present and future generations”. Implicit to this principle is the inclusion of children, both as a present and future generation. INTRODUCTION • Climate change is a threat to sustainable development, as climate are interwoven with development, and the achievement of many key development targets, such as the Millennium Development Goals (OECD, 2006:1-3; UNICEF, 2011a:6). • In November 2011 during the 17th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework on Climate Change (COP17) in Durban, South Africa, widespread attention was drawn on the impacts of climate change on vulnerable groups. • Children – are likely to bear the brunt of climate change, while they have contributed least to the problem of climate change (Reid, Huq & Murray, 2010 UNICEF, 2011:2).

3. The potential inequity to be caused by climate change should be addressed within the broader development context with specific reference to the 1992 Rio Declaration on Environment and Development (United Nations, 1992) principle 3 that states that “[T] he right to development must be fulfilled so as to equitably meet developmental and environmental needs of present and future generations”. Implicit to this principle is the inclusion of children, both as a present and future generation. The potential inequity to be caused by climate change should be addressed within the broader development context with specific reference to the 1992 Rio Declaration on Environment and Development (United Nations, 1992) principle 3 that states that “[T] he right to development must be fulfilled so as to equitably meet developmental and environmental needs of present and future generations”. Implicit to this principle is the inclusion of children, both as a present and future generation. IMPORTANCE OF THE INCLUSION OF CHILDREN IN ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES • In the global environment: Captured in Agenda 21 - a globally adopted framework of principles for sustainable developed - as early as 1992 as a result of the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. • South Africa: National Climate Change Response strategies and other environmental and developmental policy response actions (Department of Environmental Affairs, 2011:4, National Planning Commission, 2012:69; UNICEF, 2011a:3). • Yet, within these strategies, the ability to recognize and address the needs of the country’s children is not well established (UNICEF, 2011a:3).

4. PREMISES OF PAPER • Children are important stakeholders in curbing the increased risk and existing vulnerability with regard to the impact of climate change on their social and economic development. Children have demonstrated over the past few years that they are active partners in the response to climate change and that their participation is important in the local and global debates on the matter (United Nations, 2009, Burgess, 2012:8).

5. Recent reports on children’s participation (cf. IDS, 2009:2, Save the Children, 2010:11, Strazdins & Skeat 2011:15-17, IDS, 2012:1) & UNICEF: 2011) Qualitative study (2011) entitled Exploring the Impact of Climate Change on Children in South Africa (UNICEF and Departments of Women, Children and People with Disabilities, and Environmental Affairs) Complimented by a supportive study called...

6. RATIONALE AND FRAMEWORK FOR INCLUSION OF CHILDREN AS STAKEHOLDERS IN DEVELOPMENT Secondary data analyses of a UNICEF (2011) study’s findings and interpretation, provide a rationale and framework for inclusion of children as stakeholders in development • Children have a comprehensive understanding of the interrelatedness between climate change and the environment and how it impact on scarce resources, poverty, food insecurity, health, education, infrastructure, the economy and social and emotional well-being. • Although children are explicit that adults have contributed to climate change, they do not blame them for this. They understand the role that people play in destroying the planet, “Not because they have bad hearts or anything like that, but because they do not have the information”.

7. RATIONALE AND FRAMEWORK FOR INCLUSION OF CHILDREN AS STAKEHOLDERS IN DEVELOPMENT • This generation children do not wait to be told or educated about climate change. They use opportunities and take responsibility to discover and learn about climate change for themselves. In addition, they ask to be educated so that they in turn can educate others, particularly their parents/ caregivers and peers. • Children know they can become more active agents of change if they are educated and empowered to transfer knowledge to their families and communities to promote positive change: “If we are educated and if we are aware of these kinds of problems, we will be able to save the coming generation. Our adults were not well informed about these kind of things.” • Children understand their role as the generation that has to mitigate climate change but also to find sustainable solutions which can create hope for future generations.

8. RATIONALE AND FRAMEWORK FOR INCLUSION OF CHILDREN AS STAKEHOLDERS IN DEVELOPMENT • Climate change created a platform for children, their families, school and/or community to generate an income while at the same time caring for the environment. • The children see opportunities for small enterprises and are innovative thinkers in searching for avenues to address poverty and employment, while at the same time employing concrete strategies to mitigate climate change. They learn from a very young age how to generate an income which not only contributes to sustainable development but which is critical for economic inclusion, development and job creation. • Children display entrepreneurial skills and emerge as social entrepreneurs who teach the school and broader community about the added value of social entrepreneurship for society. Community gardens and other recycling initiatives are good examples of this. • Children identify roles in responding to and preventing climate change for themselves; families; schools and the broader community and understand the importance of partnerships in fulfilling these roles.

9. RATIONALE AND FRAMEWORK FOR INCLUSION OF CHILDREN AS STAKEHOLDERS IN DEVELOPMENT • The children expect government officials to serve as role models; to provide leadership and apply principles of good governance. Resources could include recycling aid; trees to plant and providing more public transport for learners and employees. They require government to provide the enabling environment to respond to the impacts of climate change: “Children are the most active people on earth and I have already seen children recycling glass and everything, but since they like to be hands-on, they should also get trees to plant so that there will be more trees in this world.” • Children link the importance of finding scientific solutions to climate change by advocating for more scientific research on alternative energy and the use of solar energy. • Children are conscious of the importance of introducing and/or enforcing environmental laws and policies directed at climate change. • Overall, children reflect thorough insight in human, social and economic capital development.

10. RATIONALE AND FRAMEWORK FOR INCLUSION OF CHILDREN AS STAKEHOLDERS IN DEVELOPMENT • Children have the discipline, self esteem and confidence to speak out on their views on local, national and international platforms. This was demonstrated during COP17 when children from seven provinces came together for a week-long workshop to learn about climate change and to design strategies to implement in their communities. At a special session they also shared their ideas for addressing climate change with the media and representatives from government. At the top of their list were the increased use of solar power in schools and communities and the inclusion of climate change in the education curriculum from the foundation phase. Their self confidence and commitment to participate in decision making is reflected in the following quotes: •  “As much as all the adults and everybody in parliament are looking at us the youth to come up with a solution or a cure for something like HIV/AIDS they should also be able to look to us for possible solutions to climate change, because it does affect us. It probably affects us more than it affects them.” (UNICEF, 2011:9).

11. RATIONALE AND FRAMEWORK FOR INCLUSION OF CHILDREN AS STAKEHOLDERS IN DEVELOPMENT • “We are the future generation; we are the people who this global warming it going to affect. (…) We are the future scientists; we are the future doctors who are going to have to deal with diseases and our lives because of global warming. We are the people who are going to suffer; we are the economy that is going to suffer.” (UNICEF, 2011:5). • Children do not only see themselves as group who have a direct interest in climate change, but regard their involvement as fundamental to ensure that their participation should be regarded as an investment in sustainable development. Children recognise that they are/ will be affected by climate change, and that they are the future leaders and citizens who will have to live with and manage its consequences and as such, strongly feel that their views on climate change should be heard (UNICEF, 2011:11).

12. WHY INCLUSION OF CHILDREN AS STAKEHOLDERS FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT? • Children regard it as important that their voices should be heard on climate change as they are already playing a role in responding to the impacts of climate change. Yet, they are not “included” in the policies and legislation as a recognised and key stakeholder in the mitigation and adaption of climate change. • Children have the right to take part in public life and to be heard on issues that affect their lives. Nonetheless, children do not yet feature much in South Africa’s discourse on climate change (UNICEF, 2011:17). • How they feel about the world they live in is both relevant and valuable and with children accounting for nearly 38% per cent of the South African population, their thoughts, opinions and experiences cannot and should not be ignored.

13. CONCLUSION • The international treaties and national policies/legislation that enshrine the right of the child to participation, is not giving them the required voice (opportunity) that they need to participate. • The right of the child to participate should be approached through an equity lens, which will ensure that integrated social, economic and environmental development, which is implicit to sustainable development, will be attained through intergenerational justice (UNICEF, 2008). • Equity will ensure access to information and opportunities which children need to enable them to participate as important stakeholders in sustainable development. • The right to participation is thus embedded in the right to information which in turn gives children a voice and enable them to claim their rights, including their rights that relates to sustainable development. • Children’s inclusion has to be facilitatedthrough advocacy and lobbying. Social work is not only well positioned to take on this role but should be held accountable to ensure that children’s voices are heard as inclusive stakeholders to contribute to sustainable development.