A new analysis from the UN agency for children (Unicef) plots cuts to UK aid programmes against scores recorded in Unicef\u2019s recently updated Global Child Hazard Database, which tracks how the world\u2019s 1.1 billion children are exposed to climate threats \u2013 including droughts, extreme heat, cyclones, and floods \u2013 in different locations. <\/p>\n
The analysis, exclusively with The Independent, shows that Mozambique<\/a>, Sierra Leone<\/a>, Bangladesh<\/a>, Nigeria<\/a> and Pakistan<\/a> are all set to see UK aid cuts of 49 per cent or above over the next three years, at the same time as over 59 per cent of children in these countries are exposed to three or more climate hazards. <\/p>\n Meanwhile, among the 28 countries facing UK aid cuts worth 30 per cent or more, 23 countries will see more than 50 per cent of children exposed to droughts and 12 countries will see more than 50 per cent of children exposed to extreme heat: two climate risks seen as particularly severe for developing countries in Africa<\/a>.<\/p>\n The new findings come as Unicef prepares to launch a new campaign in September making the case that children should be a priority for UK aid efforts going forward. While fragile and conflict-affected countries<\/a>, as well as women and girls, are regularly cited by ministers as key priorities in the UK\u2019s development agenda, children are not normally cited as a distinct focus. <\/p>\n \u201cMany children most at risk from climate impacts are falling through the cracks of the UK\u2019s development agenda, because they’re not considered a priority under the decision to prioritise fragile and conflict-affected countries,\u201d said D\u00e9bora Le\u00e3o, senior policy advisor at Unicef UK.<\/p>\n \u201cBut climate is creating compounding risks in many developing countries,\u201d she continued. \u201cA drought can put huge pressure on health systems by increasing malnutrition in children<\/a>, or causing diseases to spread more rapidly<\/a>. This can then be followed by a cyclone or a flood, further compounding challenges<\/a> and leaving children with less and less ability to cope.\u201d <\/p>\n Najib Bajali, also from Unicef UK, added that it \u201cremains hard to understand the rationale that the Foreign Office has followed\u201d – and particularly so given that \u201cclimate is a key driver of conflict<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n The UK aid cut allocations, which saw the value of bilateral aid to nine African countries slashed by more than 80 per cent<\/a>, have been widely criticised by development charities and MPs for the negative impact that they are set to have on livelihoods. <\/p>\n There is also particular concern from aid agencies around the impact of climate extremes over the next 18 months due to the \u201csuper\u201d El Ni\u00f1o<\/a>: An ongoing climate event being driven by unusually warm temperatures in the Pacific.<\/p>\n The El Ni\u00f1o is set to bring particularly severe rainfall to Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia, while Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Madagascar are set to experience intense droughts.<\/p>\n Spotlight on Nigeria<\/p>\n One of the countries facing the most severe climate risks in Africa is Nigeria<\/a>, which is set to see its aid from the UK decline by 50 per cent. <\/p>\n The Unicef Global Hazards database shows nearly 89 million children in Nigeria are exposed to three or more climate hazards, while around 100.8 million are exposed to extreme heat, 95.4 million to heatwaves and 111.6 million to drought. <\/p>\n In practical terms, that means millions of children are growing up with overlapping risks to their health, nutrition, water, education and safety, while Nigeria\u2019s health system faces mounting pressure from climate-sensitive disease.<\/p>\n Speaking to The Independent in London this week, Judith Leveillee, chief of field for Unicef Nigeria, said: \u201cClimate change is real and is impacting everything in Nigeria. The biggest challenges can be when it manifests as a conflict for resources, for example over wood, water, food, or land.\u201d <\/p>\n When a climate shock hits, she added, girls \u201cwill be forced into marriage, because that’s considered a coping mechanism by parents who are struggling to make ends meet\u201d. Boys, too, are \u201cforced to leave school early, start contributing, find a job, or migrate\u201d in times of drought. <\/p>\n![\"Children](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2289506367...jpeg\")
Children inspect debris washed ashore in Ayetoro, in Nigeria’s Ondo State, where coastal erosion since the 2000s has gradually swallowed homes, schools, and other infrastructure (AFP\/Getty)<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2156163659...jpeg\")
A child is given drops during a UNICEF campaign responding to a polio epidemic in Sudan (AFP\/Getty)<\/p>\n