Young People Have Clear Demands for Leaders Going Into COP27: Inclusion, Empowerment, and Funding
From the 2nd to 4th November 2022, around 500 young people gathered in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt for the 17th Conference of Youth (COY17). COY is the biggest youth conference related to the multilateral UN climate processes, and the official gathering of the UNFCCC Youth Constituency, YOUNGO.
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he Global Center on Adaptation (GCA), in collaboration with the CEO’s Youth Advisory Panel, held two interactive workshops during COY17 aimed at empowering young people to accelerate the adaptation agenda. The first session focused on sharing the Youth4Adaptation recommendations developed following seven regional consultations and the inaugural hybrid Youth Dialogue in Rotterdam. Participants took part in engaging break-out groups to establish an understanding of youth spheres of influence, and to determine both how and in what spaces the Youth4Adaptation recommendations can be shared and implemented.
The second workshop focused more specifically on understanding the UNFCCC’s Global Goal on Adaptation, and how we can negotiate for youth-specific inclusions. The workshop was also an opportunity to build the capacity of young people in developing more practical knowledge of adaptation both at the strategic and operational levels.
The youth participants developed the following recommendations in the workshop:
On meaningful inclusion:
- The Global Goal on Adaptation must be centered on collaboration and intersectional approaches to solutions and action.
- Adaptation education must be offered to all young people to ensure young people have the capacity to meaningfully engage in local, national, regional and international adaptation solutions.
- Young people must be included in the Global Goal on Adaptation as partners, and platforms must be established for young people who are disproportionately impacted by climate change to have their voices heard.
On financing youth adaptation action:
- Under the UNFCCC finance mechanisms, funding opportunities must be provided that are accessible to young people. This means: simplified application processes, reduced eligibility criteria, streamlined reporting requirements, and reduced English language requirements.
- Funding opportunities should be available directly to youth organizations, with young people given the choice on how to spend funding.
- Funding for youth-led initiatives in developing countries should be distributed to resolve local problems with local solutions that have been tried and tested.
On youth empowerment:
- Increased capacity building and training opportunities in adaptation, including decision-making and negotiations, and entrepreneurship.
- Education needs to be contextualized with local solutions to prepare young people and communities for adapting to climate change.
- To be included as equal partners in adaptation and to be collaborators as experts.
GCA has a diverse line up of youth-specific sessions during COP27. Join us to engage in dialogue, training, capacity building and leadership. Together we can accelerate the adaptation agenda at COP27 and beyond.
For more information, visit the GCA at COP27 page
The ideas presented in this article aim to inspire adaptation action – they are the views of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Global Center on Adaptation.
