Projects

GEAG, with the support of UNICEF, New Delhi, India undertook a research study on Climate Change Resilience for Children and Urban Governance in five Indian cities namely Gorakhpur, Guwahati, Indore, Panjim and Shimla. The study assessed the coordination mechanisms and the institutional set-up in five different cities and in different geo-climatic and hazard situations towards addressing the rights and well being of children in the context of changing climate.

The methodological framework for this study followed a set of key steps in order to provide a comparable means of assessing governance mechanisms in different cities which catalyse/obstruct the process of building resilience against climate change in the context of children’s issues. This included detailed literature review, the formation of study advisory group, city sampling, field studies, Shared Learning

Dialogues (SLDs) and key informant interviews, and causal loop diagrams. The study assessed the key domains of children’s development, i.e. health, education and physical safety and protection and the specific impacts of climate change on these domains

The study largely concluded that in order to address the issues of climate resilience for children through good governance, the discourse needs to shift from governance and children to governance for and with children, in a framework of child rights. Resilience cannot be developed if resilience to poverty, ill health, lack of nutrition and incomes, education, protection and safety are not developed.