Unicef called on world leaders and the international community at COP28 to take critical steps with and for children to secure a livable planet.

In the Philippines, only 45 percent of school-aged children have access to an improved water source with a regular supply of water.

Some 26 percent of school children drink water from unimproved sources or have no access to water in schools at all.

Pervasive drought in some areas exacerbate water scarcity and threaten food security. Typhoons and flooding, which have become more frequent, damage water infrastructure.

The Philippines is also ranked 57th out of 167 countries that are likely to undergo water stress by 2040.

This suggests that without intervention, between 40 percent and 80 percent of the country's total water supply is expected to be depleted by the year 2040. Urgent action is required to address and mitigate the potential impacts on water resources.

Climate change, economic development, urbanization, population growth and displacement of people due to hazards and conflict will impact water demand and availability.

In the Philippines in particular, child malnutrition is worsened by crop failures and rising food prices, which is exacerbated by higher temperatures and increased rainfall linked to climate change.

"The bodies and minds of children in the Philippines are vulnerable to polluted air, poor nutrition, and extreme heat. Their world is changing and so, too, is their well-being as climate change affects their mental and physical health," said Unicef Philippines representative Oyunsaikhan Dendevnorov. "Children are demanding change, but their needs are far too often relegated to the sidelines."

The Philippines' youth delegate to COP28 and lead convenor of the Negrosanon Initiative for Climate and the Environment Joshua Villalobos joined other young people around the world as an observer in the climate negotiations.

"Children and young people are not taking this crisis sitting down as our future is being stolen before our very eyes. When the government listens to us and includes us in decision-making, please realize that you're not only making a difference towards the lives of children and young people, but you are actively helping shape a brighter future for the society we all live in," he said.