Pacific Youth Adaptation Forum

Taking place on the sidelines of the first UN conference on water in almost five decades, the Pacific Youth Adaptation Forum served as a catalyst for action contributing to the Water Action Agenda. The Pacific forum advanced youth engagement with adaptation at the global, national and local level by bringing together young people, experts, governments and international organizations.  

Event description:

As the world warms and sea levels rise, Pacific small island states face existential threat. The vast majority of people across the Pacific live within 5 km of the coast. In Tuvalu, sea levels have increased by approximately 13.2 centimeters from 1993 to 2021. Already in the next two to three decades Tuvalu could become uninhabitable, leading to a devastating loss of land and culture and forcing thousands of people from their ancestral homelands. 
 
Water security is one of the key risks posing a major threat to people’s lives and livelihoods across the Pacific region. Climate change threatens water resources across Pacific countries, including the world’s most vulnerable country Vanuatu by undermining freshwater resources in low-lying areas, affecting drinking water quality. Extreme weather events can damage critical water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure. 
 
Taking effective adaptation action is crucial to reduce young people’s vulnerability to climate change and minimize future impacts of climate change on their lives and livelihoods. Failure to address climate change will have profound impacts on the lives and livelihoods of young people alive today, especially young people across the Pacific who are disproportionately impacted by the climate emergency. Yet, progress on adaptation policies is uneven around the world and adaptation gaps persist. To date, 42 countries have submitted a National Adaptation Plan (NAP) to the UNFCCC, of which only three Pacific countries: Fiji, Kiribati and Tonga. A lack of progress on developing and implementing adaptation policies hampers the opportunity for transformative and inclusive adaptation.