Youth leaders representing the Commonwealth’s 56 international locations have urged leaders on the United Nations Local weather Change Convention (COP28) in Dubai to maneuver past speeches and ship concrete motion to safeguard the planet.
Their name is on the coronary heart of a brand new report launched on 8 December 2023 throughout an intergenerational dialogue organised by the Commonwealth Youth Local weather Change Community (CYCN) and the Commonwealth Secretariat.
The report outlines the local weather issues of younger individuals within the Commonwealth and proposes particular actions for governments to have interaction them in decision-making, underlining that the “hope of tackling local weather change lies with youth”.
Through the dialogue, youth leaders expressed disappointment on the lack of motion taken by international locations in response to a wealth of suggestions that they had offered at COP26 in Glasgow.
As international locations negotiate the outcomes of COP28, they referred to as on governments to concentrate on creating situations that enable younger individuals to share their experiences on local weather dangers, showcase their work and affect policymaking.
Opening the dialogue, the Commonwealth Secretary-Common Patricia Scotland KC, described younger individuals, who make up 60 per cent of the Commonwealth’s inhabitants, as “humanity’s best asset”.
She mentioned: “Younger persons are amongst these dealing with the harshest penalties of the local weather disaster. Regardless of this, they embody the spirit of hope, utilizing their ingenuity and fervour to ship tangible local weather options.
“It’s our obligation to have interaction and hearken to younger individuals on insurance policies and practices shaping local weather mitigation and adaptation efforts throughout all ranges.”
The Secretary-Common added: “The report’s suggestions supply international locations a blueprint to have interaction younger individuals as strategic companions in local weather motion for his or her future – a future that depends on the well being of our planet.”
Chevaughn Brown, Membership lead of the Commonwealth Youth Local weather Change Community, mentioned the report gave younger individuals a voice in shaping their future.
He added: “A typical future will be achieved if we deal with the longer term as the current. With decisive planning and making the precise selections, local weather change will be simply tales of what might have been a distant previous.”
The dialogue was designed to offer younger individuals with a platform to have interaction with leaders, together with the Commonwealth Secretary-Common, on local weather dangers and help buildings for youth-led local weather motion, innovation, and ocean conservation.
To amplify youth-oriented options to urgent ocean points, the Commonwealth Blue Charter and the Commonwealth Youth Climate Change Network launched a specialised Commonwealth Ocean Youth Working Group.
Ibiso Ikiroma-Owiye, Chairperson of the Commonwealth Ocean Youth Working Group, confused that youth participation in local weather change processes will not be a privilege however a elementary proper.
She mentioned: “Younger individuals deserve a seat on the desk and shouldn’t should wrestle to finance the implementation of modern tasks for our shared and sustainable future.”
The dialogue was a part of a collection of occasions being hosted this yr to mark 2023/4 because the Year of Youth.
The ‘Commonwealth Youth Policy Recommendations on Climate Change’ report was produced by the Commonwealth Youth Local weather Change Community, with the Commonwealth Secretariat’s help.
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