Youth and children call for greater roles in climate action

The Local Conference of Youth (LCOY) held from August 15-18, 2024, in Mysuru, Karnataka, India released a strong statement for the role of children and the youth in climate action.

The National Youth and Children’s Statement developed and launched by children and young people from across India urged that children and young people must be at the centre of climate action taken by governments and stakeholders; their voices and opinions on building climate resilience and driving meaningful action and leadership in climate policy and practice must be considered. This was highlighted by a press release by UNICEF on the occasion.

The Statement also emphasized that building capacity of institutions to plan, contextualize and implement climate solutions with grassroots youth leaders and communities will support India’s progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and Nationally Determined Contributions.

The National Youth and Children’s Statement developed by India LCOY, was a consultative process over two months involved 1000 young people and 500 children. The four-day LCOY conference featured thematic capacity building and activity-based learning sessions, covering topics such as energy, waste management, oceans, rivers, green skills, mobility, and water conservation. The Statement was finalized with inputs from nearly 250 young participants over four days in Mysuru, focusing on national and global asks.

Ms Rita Khanna, Scientist G at the Indian Ministry of Environment and Forests and Climate Change, said, highlighting the transformative potential of young people. “Under Mission LiFE, in partnership with UNICEF YuWaah, the energy, innovation, and passion of young people are crucial in redefining our relationship with nature. Their initiatives in green entrepreneurship and sustainable technologies offer hope and inspiration.

Kartik Verma, a UNICEF India Youth Advocate, stressed the disproportionate impact of climate change on children. “It is their right to be involved in decision-making processes at all levels. This conference marks a significant step in ensuring that children’s voices are heard and incorporated into the National Youth Statement,” he said.

In 2018, as part of the UN Youth Policy 2030, UNICEF launched the global Generation Unlimited (GenU) movement to meet the urgent needs of young people between the ages of 10-24, expanding learning, skill development, employment and engagement opportunities. The India chapter of Generation Unlimited – YuWaah – was launched in November 2019. By 2030, in India, UNICEF YuWaah aims to build pathways for 100 million young people to aspirational socio-economic opportunities; facilitate 200 million young people to gain relevant skills for productive lives and the future of work; and partner with 300 million young people as change-makers and create spaces for developing their leadership.

The LCOY is an annual youth-led conference under the UNFCCC organized by young people across the world that encourage localized climate conversations, promote youth leadership in climate action, and amplify grassroots climate action worldwide. It aims to empower youth in climate action and decision-making. These conferences strengthen local networks of young climate activists, leading to the creation of climate reports and declarations. These localize climate conversations and gather grassroots inputs for the Global Youth Statement, influencing global climate negotiations.

At COP28, the Global Youth Statement synthesized the collective climate policy demands and proposals of young people, coordinated by YOUNGO, the official children and youth constituency of the UNFCCC. Through rigorous consultations at the Local and Regional Conferences of Youth, as well as more than 50 policy hackathons, the COP28 Global Youth Statement brought together more than 700,000 inputs and voices of young people from 150 countries around the world.

This Global Youth Statement represented children and young people’s landmark call to action for world leaders to step up to the existential challenge and seize the opportunity for course correction. It stressed that they are the last generation that can take decisive action to keep 1.5C within reach and keep the planet in a safe, equitable, and just operating space for current and future generations. Young people around the world are poised to lead, and we are ready to stand together to combat the climate crisis. With the fate of the planet hanging in the balance, the Youth Statement urged world leaders to join them so that together, they could take immediate, systematic, and radical action for climate justice.