[INTERVIEW] UNICEF regional chief wins Korea's support for climate initiatives for children

UNICEF Regional Director for East Asia and the Pacific Debora Comini, second from right, poses with students in China's Qinghai province in August. Courtesy of UNICEF

Director for East Asia, Pacific finds hope in Korean gov't's outreach policies

By Ko Dong-hwan

Debora Comini, UNICEF's regional chief for East Asia and the Pacific, conveyed a sense of optimism after meeting key Korean legislators at the National Assembly last Wednesday.

The purpose of her visit to Seoul was to garner Korea's support for initiatives focused on helping vulnerable children in the region fight the climate crisis, become more climate-resilient and thrive under the protection of adults and community leaders. The discussions were marked by encouragingly positive responses.

Comini, who arrived in Seoul on Aug. 28, met with officials at Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, representatives from the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) before her Wednesday meetings at the National Assembly.

Her regional office has requested a minimum of $500 million to roll out climate-smart social services across East Asia and the Pacific, including the five-year water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and climate change program.

She expressed satisfaction with the results of her meetings.

"They pledged support for our organization's cause at a level more than I had anticipated," Comini told The Korea Times Wednesday after her meetings with Rep. Do Jong-hwan and Rep. Lee In-young, both from the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea.

UNICEF Regional Director for East Asia and the Pacific Debora Comini, second from right, watches students in Papua, Indonesia, in 2019 when she was the representative of UNICEF Indonesia. Courtesy of UNICEF

Both lawmakers are strong supporters of UNICEF. Do heads a group of lawmakers called the Korean Parliamentary Friends of UNICEF and Lee leads the Korean Parliamentary League on Children, Population and Environment.

"They were very responsive and supportive of the UNICEF agenda, recognizing how the Korean agenda for climate change and our agenda for children under the climate risks complimented each other," she said. "We discussed very explicitly how to team up and make our collaboration more strategic."

Comini was hopeful of bringing Korean technical expertise in both academic and private sectors to realize UNICEF's campaigns.

She spoke highly of Korea's potential contributions in areas such as technology, noting that they could significantly benefit climate and child welfare programs.

Since joining UNICEF in 1991, Comini has been advocating support to address the urgent needs of millions of children in the East Asia and Pacific regions. These children face threats from water scarcity, extreme weather, and inadequate public services, with the impact more serious in economically disadvantaged areas.

UNICEF Regional Director for East Asia and the Pacific Debora Comini, second from right, and Head of UNICEF Seoul Liaison Office Oren Schlein, third from right, meet Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) Vice President Hong Seok-hwa, second from left, in Seoul, Tuesday. Courtesy of UNICEF

"Over the Tipping Point," the latest UNICEF report published by Comini's office, highlights the urgent need for action. The report notes that children in the region experience six times more frequent climate-related disasters than their grandparents. Some 65 percent of these children face four or more types of climate-related shocks simultaneously, nearly double the global average.

Comini's job is to mobilize as much support as possible from the international community to create an environment in which all children are safe. She wants to empower children in East Asia and the Pacific ― to give them a voice to call upon their political and community leaders to address the climate crisis with children and young people in mind. Her focus on the climate crisis and its impact on children is shared with UNICEF's six other regional directors who are based in Jordan, Kenya, Nepal, Panama, Senegal and Switzerland.

"Our principal role is to ensure that social services available to the children are resilient to the impact of climate change and adopt low-carbon approaches that reduce greenhouse gas emissions," she said. "We are now scaling up our work across all the sectors ― health, education, water sanitation and hygiene ― to be climate smart."

Comini studied the Korean government's official development assistance (ODA) policies and found they align well with UNICEF's climate-focused initiatives in areas such as infrastructure, water, sanitation, energy and agriculture.

Before departing for her regional headquarters in Bangkok, Thailand, Comini expressed hope for future collaboration with Korean entities.

"Korean companies, with their significant technical assets, products and services, can co-invest in climate-resilient projects with UNICEF to reach the most vulnerable children and communities," she said. "We can also benefit greatly from Korean experts in civil society and academia as thought leaders, advisers or implementers of our programs."