Global youth adaptation movement urges leaders to scale up adaptation finance
The voice of young people from 137 countries around the world, including 51 African countries, resonates in Dubai’s COP28, with a clear message to decision-makers: young people are critical partners in adapting our world to climate change, a vision which can become a reality by doubling adaptation finance by 2025.
D
ubai, United Arab Emirates, 3rd December 2023 – The global youth call on adaptation is condensed in the #Youth4Adaptation Communique included in the publication ‘Youth Engagement with Adaptation through the Global Stocktake’. The publication and communique were presented at COP28 during the event “#Youth4Adaptation: Building a Climate-Resilient Future”.
The #Youth4Adaptation Communique was presented to the world by the eight members of the GCA CEO’s Youth Advisory Panel at COP28. The communique is the result of a structured and wide-ranging consultation process that conveyed the perspectives of over 6,500 young people from 137 countries.
This process included five regional Youth Adaptation Forums organized by the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA), five Regional African Youth Consultations on Adaptation organized by GAYO (Green Africa Youth Organization) with the support of GCA, and key takeaways from the Africa Youth Climate Assembly in 2023.
What emerges from these extensive consultations is a clear message to decision-makers: young people are critical partners in adapting our world to climate change, a vision which can become a reality by doubling adaptation finance by 2025.
Why young people are critical partners is evidenced by the dynamics of the world’s demography. The world’s youth population has never been as large as it is today, with almost one billion people are under the age of 35 on the African continent alone.
Africa and African youth are disproportionately affected by what has been referred to as “the era of global boiling” by the UN Secretary-General. Sub-Saharan Africa is home to almost half of the world’s youth population, and the population is expected to reach 830 million people by 2050.
The greatest opportunity
Young people will have to bear the brunt of the climate emergency as greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise globally. This generation is at a pivotal place in climate history, from which it can strongly influence its own adaptation to climate change, as well as pave the way for the adaptation of the young generations to come.
The milestone #Youth4Adaptation Communique lays out key recommendations to decision-makers to create a greener, safer, and more prosperous world for current and future generations. Its major themes include:
- Double adaptation finance by 2025.
- Promote economic growth, entrepreneurship and jobs while building resilience across sectors.
- Foster youth participation in adaptation policies – engage young people through participatory processes in adaptation policy-making at the international, regional, national, and local level.
- Develop capacity-building and adaptation education.
The urgency and importance of securing deep involvement from young people in adaptation cannot be overstated. Governments, international organizations, and other stakeholders are encouraged to integrate the recommendations of the #Youth4Adaptation Communique into their climate action strategies. This involves not only acknowledging the role of young people in climate adaptation but actively involving them in the implementation of adaptation projects and initiatives.
