Greta Thunberg and Danish group support UNICEF’s coronavirus work

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and a Danish-based non-governmental organization on Thursday announced they would support the UN children’s agency UNICEF’s efforts to protect children from the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.

A foundation set up by Thunberg and the Danish-based Human Act were each to donate 100,000 dollars to UNICEF’s work, a statement read.

Thunberg, 17, was recently awarded the Human Act Award, and opted to use her prize money to support UNICEF’s campaign.

“Like the climate crisis, the corona pandemic is a child-rights crisis. It will affect all children, now and in the long-term, but vulnerable groups will be impacted the most,” Thunberg said in a statement. 

Thunberg inspired the global movement to draw attention to climate change by skipping school on Fridays. She staged her first school strike in August 2018.

Along with Human Act, Thunberg has formed the digital funding campaign – Let’s Move Humanity for Children in the Fight Against Coronavirus.

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Djaffar Shalchi, founder of Human Act, said: “Greta Thunberg is the right choice for this first award. Together we want to inspire fellow global citizens – from youth and grass root level to billionaires – to stand together and to show solidarity in the face of the pandemic.”

UNICEF deputy executive director Charlotte Petri Gornitzka said the UN agency was “working across the world to help children and families to both protect themselves from the virus, but also to ensure that children get access to life-saving health supplies and education.” (dpa)