This report, “Advocates for Change: Asia Pacific Children and Youth’s Voices & Perspectives on Climate Action and Disaster Risk Reduction”, is the result of the collaboration between partners from different development organizations. This project commenced in May 2024 and culminated in the launch of the report in October 2024 by the Asia Pacific Coalition for School Safety (APCSS).

Disasters pose a substantial and growing threat to children and youth's well-being, and climate change is a rising threat to the environment and livelihood, including the survival and well-being of future generations. However, children and youth continue to be on the frontlines in combating climate change and building resilience in their communities. There have been consultative and robust research on child-centred risk reduction and school safety developed globally and in Asia-Pacific. Drawing from the findings, we highlight young people’s voices and perspectives in urging governments, DRR partners, and practitioners to undertake the following actions in line with the underlying goals of the 10th APMCDRR.

The East Asia region is home to an estimated 155.2 million people living in extreme poverty. The challenges faced by families in meeting their basic needs and securing their livelihoods are exacerbated by the impacts of climate change, increasing frequency and severity of natural disasters, conflict, and rising costs of living.

This policy brief provides a call to action for development partners of Laos and Thailand, the primary destination of choice for Lao migrants, to address key drivers of distress migration in communities of origin and to make migration safer, more humane and more just for Lao parents and children alike, providing more support for those who stay behind and those who go, empowering children to help shape a better future for themselves.

This policy brief provides a call to action for development partners in Cambodia and Thailand, the primary destination for Cambodian migrants to address key drivers of distress migration in communities of origin. It advocates for making migration safer, more humane, and more equitable for Cambodian parents and children, while also providing greater support for those who remain behind and those who migrate. By empowering children to actively shape a better future for themselves, this approach aims to create lasting positive change in the lives of all involved.

This policy brief provides a call to action for development partners of Viet Nam and Thailand as the primary destination of choice for Vietnamese migrants, to address key drivers of distress migration in communities of origin and to make migration safer, more humane and more just for Vietnamese parents and children alike, providing more support for those who stay behind and those who go, empowering children to help shape a better future for themselves.

Press release by World Vision, highlighting the findings by new co-produced report with the Stokholm Enviornmental Institute that looks at Climate change and other socio-economic factors that are driving migration in Southeast Asia, impacting vulnerable communities and reshaping family dynamics.