- First global sport organisation to partner with UNICEF’s global climate fund nears target of benefitting 3 million children and young people in three years
- UNICEF’s climate programmes, as part of the Safe and Healthy Environment Fund, target those most affected by and at risk to climate change impacts
- Programmes include training, education and initiatives that ensure services such as schools, health centres, water and sanitation facilities are resilient to climate and environmental shocks.
Formula E and UNICEF have announced that their ground breaking partnership has benefitted more than 2.5 million children and young people globally since the partnership began in 2021. Formula E, the world’s first sport to be certified net zero carbon since inception, was the first international sports organisation to partner with UNICEF to tackle climate change.
Through investment in UNICEF’s climate programmes as part of the Safe and Healthy Environment Fund, the collaboration focuses on helping to create a planet where every child can live in a safe, clean and sustainable environment. This is achieved by ensuring the services children rely on – such as education and healthcare – are resilient and that young people are empowered through knowledge and skills building to take climate action.
Examples of localized initiatives funded by the partnership include bespoke climate change education training in the Caribbean for more than 50,000 people as well as rainwater capture and purification systems in schools across three Mexican states positively impacting more than 17,000 students and their local villages.
More than 1.8 million children and young people were positively impacted by UNICEF’s Safe and Healthy Environment Fund in the first full year of the partnership with Formula E in 2022.
Formula E and UNICEF’s partnership contributes towards UNICEF’s climate work for children and supports holistic climate programmes around the world. Funding from Formula E contributes to UNICEF’s global climate programmes which include innovative programmes ranging from those that turn plastic waste into schools; installing solar panels at places such as schools; and training local manufacturers to make eco-cooking stoves.
Julia Pallé, Director of Sustainability, Formula E said:
“We are proud to see our partnership with UNICEF is having a powerful and meaningful impact on children and young people all around the world. As a leader in sustainability, it’s not just the planet that we look to protect but its people too. With one billion children already at extreme risk from the impacts of climate change, we need to ensure they have the best support possible as well as the right education as they grow up. They will be the ones inheriting the world and influencing change so we’re pleased to be involved in their education and investing in their communities.”
Gautam Narasimhan, Global Lead for Climate, Energy, & Environment at UNICEF said:
“Children are bearing the brunt of the impacts of climate change – and children living in fragile countries and vulnerable communities are being hit the hardest. Today, one billion children are already at extremely high risk from the impacts of climate change. “As the first global sport organisation to support UNICEF’s climate programmes, Formula E continues to help us raise awareness and provides vital funds for children around the world, helping transform the lives of children and their families.
“Thank you, Formula E, for supporting our work towards a world in which every child, no matter how hard to reach, survives and thrives in a safe, clean and nurturing environment.”
