UNICEF executive director Catherine Russell spoke to Q+A about the impact of war and climate change on children around the world.
Russell has been visiting New Zealand, looking in part at the risk climate change poses to the Pacific region. She spoke to Q+A and John Campbell earlier this week.
"There's virtually no carbon, coming out of Vanuatu. That's not the problem," Russell said.
"They have not created this challenge, but they are living every day with the results of it and with the consequences.
"I think the key for from our advocacy for rich countries is to say, first of all, it's going to affect everyone. There is no 'us versus them' or 'it's just a problem for the Pacific'.
"That's just inaccurate. I live in the United States. We're seeing constant challenges around climate change, whether it's more tornadoes, beach erosion,
"Everyone, we are in this together, and if we don't see that, then that's everyone's problem, right? Everyone has got to be part of the solution.
"The rich countries have got to help countries that don't have those resources to adapt and become more resilient, and that's the work that UNICEF is trying to do."
She also spoke about the horrors faced by children overseas in conflict regions.
"I have seen it in so many places. I saw it in Afghanistan. I saw it in Yemen and many other places. And essentially what happens is, when a child's body is malnourished, at some point, the body just starts consuming itself, right, because it has no food.
"And so I walked into a hospital room in Afghanistan and it was jam-packed, like two babies to a bed. You know, the mothers were kind of perched on the sides of the beds.
"And the strange thing for anyone who's ever been around babies, the whole room was silent. Why? Because they are too weak to even cry. That's how bad it gets, right? They can't cry. They have no energy to do anything. They're just trying to survive."
Watch the full inteview in the video above
Q+A with Jack Tame is made with the support of New Zealand On Air
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