5.2 Indigenous children Climate change poses an existential threat to the specific rights of indigenous children, due to their unique connection with the environment and its resources, and the intimate relationship between their traditional land, culture, spiritual beliefs, and collective identity.145 Moreover, indigenous children’s vulnerability is further exacerbated because they frequently live in areas characterized by highly climate-sensitive ecosystems and are typically among the most marginalised groups in society, estimated to constitute 15 per cent of the world’s poor, and one third of those living in extreme poverty in rural areas. 146 It is estimated that there are between 14 and 17 million Indigenous Peoples in the Philippines.147 Mindanao, where 61 per cent of Indigenous Peoples are estimated to live, represents 31 per cent of total poverty incidence in the country.148 While recent data on poverty levels and other key indicators among indigenous communities is lacking or considered to be unreliable,149 the latter are reported to represent the very ‘poorest of the poor’,150 and the areas in which they live tend to be characterised by poor health, nutrition and educational outcomes for children.151 As described in the preceding section, Mindanao also faces some of the most severe projected impacts of climate change in the Philippines, and these impacts will be felt most acutely by indigenous children due to their dependence on their ancestral lands and natural resources, combined with a lack of adaptive capacity. According to a recent study commissioned by UNICEF Philippines and the Tebtebba Foundation, climate change and environmental degradation represent two of the major concerns for indigenous children in the Philippines.152 However, given indigenous peoples’ continued socio-economic exclusion and political disempowerment, significant barriers are likely to remain with regards to indigenous children’s ability to exercise their right to be heard on these issues. 5.3 Urban poor children Urban poor children face particularly acute climate-related hazards. In 2014, 38 per cent of the urban population lived in slums,153 and children living in these informal settlements, particularly along river lines and by the coast, are highly-exposed to typhoons, storm surges, seasonal rains and coastal erosion. Their vulnerability is further compounded by their poverty and other typical characteristics of informal urban settlements, including a lack of access to basic services such as health and education, congested housing and transportation, inadequate waste management, poor water and air quality, and an absence of decent and safe public spaces.154 Rapid urbanisation in the country will further increase these pressures, with the proportion of the population living in urban areas expected to increase to 56.3 per cent by 2050.155 This increase is being fuelled in part by increasing rates of internal migration that are highly characterised by young persons moving from rural areas to urban centres in search of increased economic opportunities.156 In the light of both observed and projected climaterelated impacts on rural livelihoods and levels of poverty, this trend seems likely to accelerate over time, bringing ever-greater numbers of children into harm’s way. 5.4 Children with disabilities Children with disabilities are one of the most marginalized and excluded groups in society, and encounter some of the largest barriers to realizing their rights.157 Frequently, a lack of accurate data and information about children with disabilities hampers governments’ abilities to allocate resources and support. According to the 2010 national census, 1.44 million Filipinos, or 1.57 per cent of the population was living with some form of disability, and 18.9