About 1.3 million children in Cambodia could face extreme weather linked to El Niño from late 2026 into 2027, according to a UNICEF warning reported by China’s Xinhua news agency.
The report, published on October 13, 2026, said an estimated 190 million children across Southeast Asia could be affected.
For Cambodian families, prolonged drought and intense heat could mean shortages of water for drinking, daily use and farming. Children could also face school closures and greater risks of illness, placing further pressure on communities with limited access to healthcare.
The warning comes as Cambodia sets out ambitious economic development goals while acknowledging growing environmental threats.
Prime Minister Hun Manet said the previous week that Cambodia would leave the United Nations’ least developed country category on December 19, 2029. Hun Manet also outlined ambitions to reach upper middle income status by 2030 and high income status by 2050, attributing those goals to the government’s Pentagonal Strategy.
In a message marking National Disaster Management Day on October 13, 2026, Hun Manet urged authorities to make disaster preparedness a priority and strengthen staffing, skills and equipment.
Hun Manet acknowledged that climate change, rapid urban expansion and environmental degradation threatened sustainable economic and social development.
El Niño is a recurring natural climate pattern associated with unusually warm surface waters in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. It can disrupt rainfall and temperatures around the world, bringing hotter and drier conditions to parts of Southeast Asia.
According to the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, El Niño generally occurs every two to seven years. Episodes typically last between nine and 12 months, although some continue longer.
For Cambodia, the potential impact extends beyond the weather itself. Water shortages can damage harvests and household incomes, while extreme heat can interrupt children’s education and threaten their health.
The article also calls for better irrigation systems to help farming communities make greater use of water from the Mekong River.