#Youth4Adaptation: Young People Shaping the Global Goal on Adaptation and the Global Stocktake

The #Youth4Adaptation event will bring together leaders from governments, international organizations, young leaders, as well as policy and decision-makers at COY18 in Dubai. The discussions will focus on the importance of fostering youth leadership, creating adaptation jobs, and mainstreaming education and training on climate adaptation.

Event description

Young People on the Climate Frontline
Climate change is an intergenerational issue, disproportionately impacting younger generations who will experience worsening climate impacts throughout their lifetime. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change confirmed in their latest synthesis report how climate change is already having a devastating impact on communities around the world. Africa is on the frontline of the climate emergency it did not create. With almost 60% of Africa’s population under the age of 25, taking effective adaptation action is crucial to reduce youth vulnerability and minimizing future impacts on livelihoods.  
 
One such model of support mobilization and forging a finance breakthrough is the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program (AAAP), developed by the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) and the African Development Bank. Youth leadership and jobs is a key pillar of the AAAP. Through the flagship African Youth Adaptation Solutions Challenge (YouthADAPT), 33 youth-led enterprises have been supported to date, thereby scaling up adaptation innovations and promoting the creation of adaptation jobs. 
 
At the GCA Intergenerational Dialogue during the Africa Climate Summit, young leaders presented the #Youth4Adaptation Communiqué, the outcome document of six regional Youth Adaptation Forums worldwide and five Regional African Youth Consultations on Adaptation. The Communiqué reflects the perspectives of over 6,500 young people from 135 countries, urging leaders to double adaptation finance and involve young people in adaptation policies and action. 
 
The Youth Adaptation Forums emphasized engaging young people with key international policies. These include the first Global Stocktake, a cyclical mechanism of the Paris Agreement designed to assess its long-term goals, and the Global Goal on Adaptation, which will be adopted at COP28 as the main adaptation component of the global stocktake. These mechanisms present an opportunity for young people to course-correct adaptation action.

Youth Engagement with the Global Stocktake and the Global Goal on Adaptation
In preparation for COP28, the #Youth4Adaptation event will bring together leaders from governments, international organizations, young leaders, as well as policy and decision-makers at COY18 in Dubai. The discussions will focus on the importance of fostering youth leadership, creating adaptation jobs, and mainstreaming education and training on climate adaptation.
 
The event will feature the #Youth4Adaptation Communique, which presents the outcome of GCA consultation process in 2023. Further programmatic announcements include the Arabic version of the ‘Toolkit for Youth on Adaptation and Leadership’, and the partnership between GCA, the University of Nairobi, the University of Groningen, and the Ministry of Youth Affairs, Sports and The Arts of Kenya to train one million Kenyan youth from the Green Army on adaptation and leadership.

Key objectives 
The objectives of this event are to: 

• Promote youth engagement with the Global Goal on Adaptation, the Global Stocktake, and other adaptation-related policies. 
• Empower youth leadership and unlock adaptation jobs and youth entrepreneurship by showcasing African youth solutions, including the YouthADAPT winners. 
• Champion adaptation education and youth views in adaptation policies, including by launching the Arabic version of the Toolkit for Youth on Adaptation & Leadership. 

Guiding questions:

• How can governments and policy-makers harness the potential of young people to address the outcomes of the first Global Stocktake, the Global Goal on Adaptation, and other international adaptation processes? 
• How can governments and international organizations scale up African youth entrepreneurship and unlock adaptation jobs, and what are the solutions? 
• What is the role of adaptation education and capacity-building in preparing the new generation of leaders for adaptation action?