Nepal’s historic monuments Rani Pokhari and Dharahara Tower will turn blue tonight to mark this year’s World Children’s Day. Celebrated every year on 20 November to mark the adoption of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), World Children’s Day is the global day of action for children, by UN member Governments, by civil society, by communities and by children and young people themselves.

This year, in particular, UNICEF calls on government, development partners, civil society, media and other stakeholders to make a commitment to reimagining and building a better post-pandemic world for every child. To ensure that commitments turn into reality, it also calls on all stakeholders to listen to children’s and young people’s voices and to take their views into account in all decisions that affect their lives and their future.

World Children’s Day, this year, comes at a time when the impact of the pandemic and the impact of climate change on children and young people is becoming increasingly clear.

UNICEF Nepal’sChild and Family Tracker (CFT) household surveys, tracking the impact of the pandemic on families with children, that have been conducted periodically since the start of the pandemic,have revealed stark loss of earnings and livelihoods among over half of the households with children surveyed. The combination of livelihood losses and pandemic lockdowns have had a detrimental impact on children's well-being limiting their access to a nutritious diet, to healthcare and causing disruptions to children’s education. Negative household coping mechanisms have resulted in increases in early marriage, child labor and other forms of child exploitation. The anxieties and pressures associated with the pandemic have also further increased the incidence of violence against children and women, as well as the previously high levels of mental health concerns

“COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on children across Nepal and in particular children of the most vulnerable and marginalized families,” said Ms. Elke Wisch, UNICEF Representative to Nepal. “As the world recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic and tackles the common challenges of climate change, we must work together to reimagine a better future for every child. Listening to children and young people’s voices must be at the heart of how Nepal reimagines a better world for children.”