The 2023 Conference of the Parties, established unprecedented benchmarks for youth inclusion and active participation in discussions pertaining to climate action.
The Conference of the Parties or COP was held in Dubai, UAE from Nov. 30 to Dec. 13, 2023. COP summits are held annually to gather world leaders in order to tackle climate change and assess progress on countries’ commitments to reducing emissions.
The active involvement of young individuals in sustainability dialogues, coupled with the facilitation of their participation in real-world discussions, constitutes a crucial measure towards bridging the gap between the youth demographic and the policymaking process.
Historic firsts
In COP28, the first-ever global stocktake was conducted of all the commitments of countries in the context of the Paris Climate Agreement. As a first, the 2023 COP28 summit included youth through the first-ever Youth Stocktake, facilitated by the Children and Youth Constituency of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. YOUNGO is a global network of children and youth activists as well as youth NGOs, who contribute to shaping the intergovernmental climate change policies and strive to empower youth to formally bring their voices to the UNFCCC processes.
This process is the first time this network of activists has been asked to participate in the assessment of youth inclusion and how the concerns of young people have been included in policy implementation. This new chapter of youth involvement, however, will not end in this COP.
The COP28 Presidency has made its intentions evident to continue this initiative for future COPs. This is to be done through the role of the Presidency Youth Climate Champion being carried forward to future COPs. This role is taken by H.E. Shamma Al Mazrui, who was once the youngest minister in the world by the age of 22.
Currently, Al Mazrui serves as the UAE’s Minister of Community Development.
“At this COP, we have witnessed unprecedented initiatives fostering children and youth inclusion,” she said at the discussion of the Youth Stocktake.
In addition, the UAE is stepping up to be leaders for youth inclusion with their Youth Climate Delegates Program that invited 110 young people from diverse nations, making it the largest youth participation in the COP process.
“The COP28 Presidency and the Youth Climate Champion are committed to supporting and enabling greater access for youth especially from underrepresented communities through key initiatives such as the International Youth Climate Delegates Programme,” Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and President-Designate of the COP28, said in a statement in the Youth Stocktake side event hosted in June.
Policy for progress
Despite the amazing work that has been done thus far, these impressive steps have been met with a challenge, as Al Mazrui, COP28 Youth Climate Champion, commented: “Our vision is clear: each subsequent COP must surpass its predecessor.”
One such challenge that YOUNGO and youth leaders discussed were the lack of resources for volunteers, capacity building, and the establishment of a formalized process for youth policy proposals to be considered by governments; “the lack of resources and funding for youth climate volunteers; gaps in education and capacity building to understand the complex negotiation topics, a lack of formalized processes for youth policy proposals to be considered by governments, and a disconnect between youth needs in formal negotiation spaces.”
In order to combat these complex challenges, the youth called on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to revise international youth policy input procedures and create an easily accessible repository of capacity-building resources.
Through the steadfast dedication of these advocates for change, the upcoming Presidency, in partnership with the Youth Climate Champion, has pledged to present a comprehensive roadmap aimed at augmenting the engagement frameworks for youth within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
These advancements signify the beginning of a new era in the intersection of climate change and youth, consistently providing the younger generation with an unprecedented opportunity to influence policy making in a manner previously unexplored.
“Meaningful youth engagement in the UNFCCC requires more than attending the conference,” Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC Simon Stiell said in a June 2023 statement. “We need all voices to be heard.”
