Join the CCRC for our Annual General Meeting on November 4th at 2pm EST. Note that this is open to the general public, not just CCRC members. The first hour will be a panel on climate change and children’s rights. Then, we will have a 30 minute AGM where we will nominate new board directors, and also launch our Children’s Writing Competition for the year.
The focus of the panel will be about the ways that children’s lives are shaped by climate change, even though they are the least responsible, they are the most affected. This is particularly true for children who are structurally vulnerable, such as Indigenous children, those living in poverty, racialized children, and those with health complications.
The CCRC is thrilled to announce our panelists for this event:
Zoe Craig-Sparrow is an Indigenous young woman whose community and family, the Musqueam people, have lived and learned in modern day Vancouver, Canada for thousands of years. Zoe has worked in Canada and internationally to promote the rights of women, girls, and Indigenous peoples, particularly how they relate to protection of the environment. Since the age of 12, Zoe has worked with NGOs, including representing Canadian NGOs, Justice for Girls and the David Suzuki Foundation, at the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in 2012 and 2020. She is currently the Director of Indigenous Rights and Environmental Justice at Justice for Girls. Zoe has co-authored and provided her expertise on numerous submissions to international human rights monitoring bodies and has participated in a broad range of public speaking endeavours. Zoe has a Master’s degree (awarded with distinction) in human rights from the University of London and is currently pursuing a PhD in human rights at the University of London.
Anne Hicks is an assistant professor in pediatric respiratory medicine at the University of Alberta. Her areas of interest focus on the influence of the environment and individual responses to specific exposures, particularly with respect to asthma. She is also the Clinical Lead for the Children’s Environmental Health Clinic, which provides clinical service, research, education and services including contributing to the World Health Organization as a Collaborating Centre.
Nicholas Rees is a Climate and Environment Specialist at UNICEF Headquarters in New York. He is a global expert in analysis, strategy and advocacy for children and environmental issues, and has supported UNICEF’s growing programmatic work in this area. He is the author of various global publications that examine the environmental determinants of children’s health and wellbeing, including The Toxic Truth, Danger in the Air, Clear the Air for Children, and Unless we Act Now.