MPR urges child protection from climate crisis threats
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Deputy Speaker of the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) Lestari Moerdijat has said that a protection system for vulnerable groups, including children and women, from the impacts of the climate crisis is an urgent need that must become a national priority.
“A protection system for vulnerable groups from the threat of climate crisis impacts is no longer merely a discourse, but an urgent need that demands real action,” Lestari said in her statement in Jakarta on Friday.
She said that around 1.1 billion children worldwide face at least three climate threats simultaneously, based on a UNICEF report on climate risks to children.
According to Lestari, children are a group vulnerable to the impacts of the climate crisis, ranging from extreme heatwaves, drought, floods, to the spread of disease.
“The same report states that 1.5 billion children face longer or more frequent heatwaves. Meanwhile, 1.2 billion children are exposed to extreme heat,” she said.
According to her, Indonesia is not exempt from these threats. Lestari noted that child climate risk data places Indonesia at 46th out of 163 countries, reflecting high exposure to climate crisis shocks.
She also cited data from the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) showing that throughout 2025 more than three thousand disasters occurred, affecting more than 10.5 million people, including 3.17 million children.
Climate anomalies that can trigger drought or heavy rain, she said, not only impact the environment but also the economic and social sectors, including loss of livelihoods.
The loss of livelihoods due to the climate crisis, according to Lestari, can increase the risk of human trafficking, child marriage, and school dropouts, making children and women vulnerable groups.
According to her, this data must receive serious attention from stakeholders, and real steps need to be taken immediately to reduce potential threats.
In this context, Lestari emphasised that a protection system through the development of community preparedness and appropriate disaster mitigation must be realised immediately.
In addition, strengthening the protection system for vulnerable groups by prioritising equitable distribution of protection services and a preventive approach is also needed.
She said that collaboration between government, private sector, communities, and the public is no longer an option but a necessity to realise such a protection system.
“The increasingly complex challenge of protecting vulnerable groups, including Indonesian women and children in 2026, must be answered with strong collaboration from all relevant parties, in order to provide a safe environment for every citizen,” she said.