Welcome everyone! 

This first week, the Youth Lounge will be facilitated by me, Melissa Ingaruca - International consultant working with UNDP on the development of the guidance package on Youth & Climate/Nationally Determined Contributions (from Peru and currently based in Germany)-, together with Chiagozie Udeh, Global Executive Board of Plant for Planet Initiative (based in Nigeria).

You are welcome to address one, several, or all guiding questions (please refer to which one/s you are addressing, if possible). The conversation can be translated to 100 languages and at the end of every week we write a short synthesis report to ensure a smooth handover and that all of your contributions are taken into consideration to continue the discussion moving forward into the next week.

We are looking forward to hearing all your voices, so let's get started!

Hello Everyone, 

I am currently working on SDG 4 with integration of SDG 13 within the school curriculum (primary schooling). As a youth engaged in this integration, there is much much work to be done in terms of quality education in Mauritius. With the change of school calendar due to covid-19, it has created a stressful situation to work in.  Countries across the globe, have taken this covid-19 time to think and to enjoy Mother nature, and to give it time to breathe all over again. But, before prioritizing quality education, parents should take  their responsibility of inculcating the importance of education in their children then the country will prosper and achieve quality education.  There is an erosion and a degradation of values and respect towards education, parental school and moral values classes included in the primary curriculum would be necessary.  I will always want the youth to value the education they are getting and know how privileged they are in terms of getting  the resources.  Schools enjoy clean and renewable energy (solar energy) which is an advancement towards SDG 7.

I am referring to the first question. Well, in Mauritius to include SDG 13 within the primary curriculum, there has been a panel of experts who worked on the integration of topics related to SDG 13 like natural hazards, ways and means to deal with calamities like tsunamis, integration of clean and safer use of energy ( from fossil fuels to solar energy). There has been revolutionary measures to deal with with clean renewable energy consumption. Every house is equipped with solar panels. Also, along with teaching the different topics, learners are initiated to activities which lead to integrating the climate actions like compositing, reusing food waste from the kitchen, or even using biodegradable products. Likewise, learners grow with climate environment friendly habits. 

Greetings all,

On number 3,

I have found the area of renewable energy to be particularly difficult to penetrate at project level. Most times the implementation phase is done at finalized at executive level. Policies in this field are still relevantly new to mainstreamed youth participation, skills requirements are often above youth capacity. It strikes to be a traditionally older male dominated industry women and youth are subjected to the lower level such as collecting wood and relying on biomass.

Other reasons are because large projects such as dams and solar parks are favored over small scale grid projects that fit youth ingenuity.

3. I have found the area of renewable energy to be particularly difficult to penetrate at project level. Most times the implementation phase is done at finalized at executive level. Policies in this field are still relevantly new to mainstreamed youth participation, skills requirements are often above youth capacity. It strikes to be a traditionally older male dominated industry women and youth are subjected to the lower level such as collecting wood and relying on biomass.

Other reasons are because large projects such as dams and solar parks are favored over small scale grid projects that fit youth ingenuity.

Hello Everyone,

Question 1

I am currently implementing a renewable energy project in a fishing community in Jamaica. The project engages vulnerable rural youth in the assembly and installation of LED lights and solar panels as well as introducing the fisherfolk and community members to the use of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies. Although the implementation of the project was interrupted by COVID-19, my experience has been good so far and I am excited about its completion.

Introducing the project revealed that there is still a lot more work to be done in raising awareness about climate change and the role of every human being in climate activism. At the start of the project, I quickly realized that community members knowledge and understanding of climate change were limited, so engaging them initially was a bit challenging. Many people didn't see how they fit into the puzzles. The hands-on project activities was seen as one way of overcoming this. I was happy to see how interested the youth, especially girls were in learning how to assemble and install these RE/EE technologies. Also, the idea of solar-powered boats piqued the interest of fisherfolks. This taught me that climate activism is more impactful when linked to the lives and livelihood of communities. The project will resume shortly and I am eager to see how it will transform this rural fishing community. 

Hi Everyone!

It is really great to find this platform where we can share our learnings. I am Melissa Capcha. I live in Germany for already two years but I am originally from Peru.
Answer to 1. In Peru, I co-founded an NGO regarding Climate education and communication that worked at a regional level. I have been very engaged on this topic since 2014 and from my personal experience, I can say that education is a priority in Peru and the Latin American countries. There was a big challenge from the beginning of this project because of the lack of commitment from our governments. A difference of the what studies say and data shows, climate change is affecting the most to the developing countries like Peru, however, we found that the government involvement and support towards the climate topic in the education sector was very poor. I can mention here that the curricula at the public school do not include specifically climate change topics. And in addition, there is no much help to the projects who want to complement the knowledge of climate education. For sure there are many interesting initiatives but would be amazing if we can be able to escalate those projects into the whole country or giving them major visibility.

There are even many lessons learned that could be taken into account during the implementation of national education policies.

I would be happy to go deep into this conversation. 

Week One Summary

Thank you everyone for your valuable insights and [~94275]  for the nice facilitation.  We have heard this week from [~94420]about climate change integration in education in Mauritius, and [~94453] started a reflection on the challenges to do so in Peru, We also learned from @DeonShekuza about the importance of mainstreaming youth participation in renewable energy policies implementation, and from Shaneica Lester about the benefits of hands-on project activities in RE/EE technologies and linking climate action to the livelihood of communities. 

We are happy to hand over the facilitation to @Felix Nasser. 

Welcome everyone,

I am very excited to take over this week's moderation – with the support of Melissa Ingaruca. [~93630]  and [~94275], thank you for your superb facilitation.

I am a climate activist myself and I hope that the youth lounge will be a place where we can share and discuss experiences, visions, and ideas. Please feel free to use the guiding questions as an inspiration. If so, please indicate the guiding question you refer to (e.g. Question 3.). I am sure we all share a strong feeling of urgency to get our communities and governments into pathways that are compatible with the 1.5°C "limit" of Paris. I am very much looking forward to hearing about some of the commonalities and differences in our daily work and struggles for climate neutrality and climate justice.

I thus wish everyone a fruitful discussion!

Welcome everyone,

I am  referring to the second question here, I have participated in the Global Change Makers Essay Competiton through United Nations Youth Association, The topic which opted for was relatively the same as the question stated, So i had to do research on how to curb climate change using better techniques and methods, I have identified a lot of problems from in depth perspective from this research and came up with a lot of solutions also, some relatively well known and some on the bleeding edge as well. So as an IT enthusiast i have realized technology has a lot of potential ways to curb these issues drastically faster.

I am looking further upon my fellow participants here and looking forward to an informative discussion in the future

Hello Everyone!

I answer question 1.

I’m Pozikhailo Anastasia from Ukraine, at the moment I’m an expert of the GEF SGP project, the main task of the project is to support young people and expand their opportunities for knowledge, skills and funding.

As part of the project, we’ll create a Youth Climate Center, which in Chernihiv will be the first such center in the region and a great example of building the capacity and potential of young people. The Center will disseminate and implement best practices in education for sustainable development on adaptation to climate change. The Centre's activities will help educate young people to make informed and responsible decisions in favor of environmental integrity, taking into account economic and social components, empower young people in developing and implementing project initiatives in communities and understanding the links between global environmental issues and sustainable community and local action.

The knowledge and experience that schoolchildren and students will gain in this Center will be really useful and new, because the educational program in our country does not include climate change.

Reading the previous comments, I`m once again convinced of the importance of implementing SDG 13 in the educational program, although my country is not prone to climate change.

Young people's understanding of the need to switch to alternative energy sources, the introduction of energy-efficient and energy-saving technologies in public and private buildings, etc. is a way not only to implement SDG 13 but also to energy independence. Therefore, climate education of children, in particular rural youth, will become a priority of the Center.

In addition, the work of the Center will include components of gender equality and social inclusion of children with special needs.

Dear Anastasia,

thank you very much for your great insights regarding the Youth Climate Center. I would be super interested to learn more about the process of setting up the center. Who was involved and what were helpful stakeholders for establishing the center? In what way were young people involved and what barriers did they/you face?

I am very much looking forward to hearing more about the Youth Climate Center in Chernihiv!

Dear Felix,  thanks for your question

Our Center is very young, as only a month has passed since the beginning of the project. The process of establishing the Center involves local authorities, regional departments of education and ecology, NGOs from all over Ukraine, higher and secondary educational institutions, nature reserve institutions, community representatives and many other participants. Such a wide range of stakeholders will ensure the sustainability and efficiency of the Center and minimize the possibility of barriers to the establishment and operation of the Center.

The priority task of the Center is to empower rural youth, in addition, the Center will involve the parents of these children, encourage them to create favorable conditions for the development of environmental culture and environmental responsibility in preschool children.

I will be happy to inform you about the results of the Center's work and successes.

Good day ladies and gentlemen,

To respond to the first question,

Through my organizations, I am primarily involved in climate change education, just transition to renewables, divestment from fossil fuels, promoting energy efficiency, nature-based solutions for resilience-building, and climate justice. For the past six years, I have been working on these fields in a full-time capacity as an environment researcher, climate campaigner and lobbyist, and a citizen journalist.

To me, the biggest challenge involves effectively communicating climate and environmental issues to different sectors beyond their traditional understanding of these issues, which has largely revolved around solid waste management, deforestation, and biodiversity protection. While these problems must be urgently tackled as well, there is a need to expand their interests beyond these issues so that we can collectively address the growing complexities observed with the climate crisis, environmental degradation, and associated social injustices.

To respond to the second question,

In the Philippine context, I am currently contributing to just and ambitious climate action through pushing for the phasedown of hydrofluorocarbons, which has significant co-benefits for reducing global warming and enhancing energy efficiency. Through our partnership with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, our organization was the NGO primarily involved with popularizing HFC phasedown to local industries and other non-government stakeholders. We also campaigned for its inclusion in the Philippine strategy for climate action at regional platforms, such as the Asia-Pacific Climate Week. I am proud that with our intervention, HFC phasedown will be a mitigation option under the country’s second NDC to be submitted this year.

Another issue I am currently involved when it comes to advancing climate action is institutionalizing climate change education in the Philippines. While there are many efforts for educating different sectors about this issue in the country, efforts for mandatory climate change education in the formal schooling environment only recently began. Our organization is currently involved in developing modules to be used by the Department of Education in integrating climate change into primary and secondary school curricula in the country. We are also developing a Laudato Si’-based school framework integrating climate and environmental principles not only in curriculum, but also in the operations of schools and universities. We are also in dialogues with the focal point for ACE in the Philippines to develop a National ACE Strategy, as well as include ACE in the country’s second NDC.  

To respond to the third question,

From my experience, it is difficult to be involved in policy-making processes at the international level. In the UN climate conferences, it is difficult for youth and most civil society representatives to have meaningful interactions with the Philippine delegation in recent years due to internal politics and the directives of the current political leadership. It can also be difficult to be familiar with multilateral structures and decision-making processes, especially when you lack the connections to be able to participate.

To respond to the fifth question,

I think knowledge-sharing is important so more young people can be aware of the available spaces for being engaged in the NDC enhancement process, and climate action in general. Consolidating available technical and financial resources among the youth within their countries and forming networks for collaborating on activities such as creative campaigning and lobbying for legislation with more stringent targets can help the youth overcome some of the challenges in influencing the process.

To respond to the sixth question,

The participation of the youth in processes within the UN system, especially those pertaining to the enhancement and implementation of NDCs in the region, needs to be strengthened. More youth delegates from the Global South must be mandated to participate during the annual UN climate change conferences, prioritizing those representing vulnerable and marginalized communities. Adequate support must be given to these delegates so that they can provide assistance in monitoring key outcomes of the weeks-long negotiations and attending side events that can help enhance their knowledge on key issues, as well as reporting on the outcomes that help shape the local and regional narrative of climate-related issues in their respective areas.

National government agencies should develop youth mentorship programs and strengthen existing platforms (e.g., Local Conferences of Youth) to educate and empower youth leaders about meaningful participation at the multilateral level. This would also help develop the next generation of negotiators, following in the footsteps of the men and women who have been integral to the past 25 global climate change negotiations, including the development of the Paris Agreement.

National governments must strengthen their collaborations with non-government stakeholders as a means of providing more support for the development of their youth delegations as future climate leaders. For instance, given the frequently-cited lack of adequate financial and technical resources, the Philippine government needs to create partnerships and strengthen existing ones with civil society organizations, businesses through corporate social responsibility, and multilateral fund-granting institutions, to create programs and projects designed to further capacitate the youth in addressing climate change issues within their schools, work places, and communities.

Given the challenges of recovering from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, national strategies may integrate co-benefits in climate change mitigation and adaptation into recovery plans. Such plans and actions may also be considered as contributing to attaining the targets under the UN Sustainable Development Goals, most notably on poverty reduction, food security, and peace and justice. Yet given the high stakes and urgency of future climate-related events, no matter the scale, embracing the “whole-of-society” approach in dealing with climate change impacts is a necessity that vulnerable countries cannot afford to delay or ignore.

It is also important to institutionalize more mechanisms for the youth to be involved in climate change-related research and development processes. In this day and age, it is necessary to strengthen science-based approaches towards every step of the climate action process, from local and global stocktaking of data and information needed for assessing vulnerabilities to climate risks to monitoring, reporting, and validating progress in the implementation of related policies and programs. This would allow countries, especially those at highest risk to the climate crisis, to fill in the gaps in regional and local climate change impacts, which have prevented effective planning and actions to be conducted by many vulnerable communities, as noted in previous IPCC and national reports. Such engagement allows for the training and development of more experts to be involved in the UNFCCC processes, especially in conducting more accurate and efficient global stocktaking, and implementing and enhancing NDCs in the next few decades.

National governments must also devise mechanisms for addressing generational and gender divides on understanding climate-related risks and opportunities. This is integral in tailoring information and initiatives on climate-related impacts and responses in ways suitable to these different perceptions, given the highly-localized impacts. Doing so does not only lead to likely reduced risks through an inclusive participatory goal centered on youth activities, but also produces long-term co-benefits such as educational and developmental learning and the potential for coherent and collaborative approaches to tackling climate and disaster-related risks, from the household scale up to the national or international level.

For the eighth question, I am not quite as to what specifically you are looking for as responses in terms of methods and tools. I'll be more than happy to answer once I get the clarification.

Thank you and have a nice day.

Answered with respect to My Experience in Wangchieng, Homabay where sand harvesting and charcoal burning are the booming business.

QUESTION ONE: I am currently implementing SDG 4 in my community. The youths in the area do not know about Sustainable Development Goals. Through capacity building, environmental conservation education, I hope that in 6 months time the community will implement the SDG13 Action plan that we are developing together as a community.

QUESTION TWO: Most in my community had a myth that the climatic conditions do not lead to Poverty. We managed to create a link between poverty and the climate. In Kenya and the rest of Africa the solution should not be just planting trees but why the climate is important to economies. I opine that implementing SDG9 programs in rural areas without a combination of SDG13+4 is disaster and injustice to the vision of the SDGs. We will end up creating problems while solving one.

QUESTION THREE: I have had difficulty in capacity building and resource mobilization as accessing environmental policymakers in the local and national government. The red tape bureaucracy makes it difficult to access resources. International implementers of  SDGs and more specifically SDG13 in Kenya are mainly in the capital city thus making them less accessible to rural youths which in turn locks them out of information and program aimed at SGD13.

Question FOUR: Climate activism needs resources in terms of information and finances. As stated above access to Government and International agencies concerned with the implementation of SDG13 has been difficult. Due to the lack of Quality Education in my community, it is hard to advocate for clean energy, sustainable environmental practices or adoption of Climate Action Plan. My recommendation would be to decentralize the agencies activities to the rural areas where industrialization and modernization are taking place. With Quality education of the people in rural areas Climate Action plans can be adopted and implemented.
 

Question Five: Establishment of Resource centres is critical to young people self-organizing. Through youth Community-Based Organization and resource centres, the communities voice can be heard by politicians and leaders tasked with the NDC enhancement process and creation climate action plan. The young people views must be heard as critical stakeholders in the implementation of SDG13.

Question Six: Vulnerable and Marginalized youth must be given a seat on the Climate Action Train. They must be empowered through education and sensitization. Most implementors of SDG13 use outsider to implement climate programs in Marginalized areas and rural community. The UN must create more slots for the vulnerable and marginalized youth in their SDGs activities. The Verification and monitoring of organizations tasked Empowering to implement SDG13 should be a must so as to ensure that the Vulnerable and Marginalized groups are incorporated and part of the programs and activities. The government must give capital incentives to youths businesses tasked with SDG13 implementation. Most importantly EDUCATION of the youths to ensure developers and implementors of climate action plans are on the same page.

QUESTION SEVEN: Tokenism by stakeholders is real and a big problem to SDGs. For example, UNEP conferences on climate rarely reflect the view and aspirations of the youth. The sampling youths selected to populate the meetings or activities are given seats but not voices, you will have; ministerial session, technical sessions and general session but never youth sessions in climate conferences. True Adoption of  SDG4+5+10+17 tenets to implementation of SDGs.

Hola a todos y todas!

Pregunta 1: Desde aproximadamente un año vengo participando en iniciativas climáticas en la organización Jóvenes Peruanos frente al Cambio Climático, con base en Lima, Perú. Inicié participando en un proyecto llamado “Suyay” (“esperanza” en quechua), con el cuál pude co-diseñar una propuesta de política pública ambiental para el municipio donde vivo para incentivar los hábitos sostenibles en los vecinos. Posterior a ello, impulso junto al colectivo iniciativas para la institucionalización de la representación juvenil en la Comisión Nacional de Cambio Climático (espacio de participación formal oficial para sociedad civil), la ratificación del Acuerdo de Escazú, aportes a la construcción de políticas climáticas como Plan Nacional de Adaptación de Perú, la plataforma Huella de Carbono Perú; capacitación y educación en negociaciones climáticas, entre otros.

Pregunta 2: Hablando a nombre del Colectivo al que pertenezco, es particularmente un orgullo poder haber sido parte de la organización juvenil que dio aportes a la Ley Marco de Cambio Climático y su Reglamento, y gracias a ello logró incluir el enfoque intergeneracional como un principio transversal para la gestión climática. De la misma forma, en la actualidad venimos impulsando con mucho orgullo aportes al NAP para asegurar los fundamentos de la equidad social intergeneracional a través del enfoque en la vulnerabilidad y oportunidades de desarrollo de las juventudes como actores fundamentales en la adaptación sea tomado en cuenta en la gestión climática del Perú.

Pregunta 3: Es más complicado participar y ser tomados en cuenta cuando de brindar aportes técnicos se trata, ya que percibimos que aún se observa a los jóvenes como actores inexpertos cuya potencialidad sólo recae en la movilización y confrontación (en muchos casos).

Pregunta 5: Buscando articular las agendas comunes entre organizaciones que actúan en espacios y temas similares. Además, buscar “desclimatizar” la acción climática, en el sentido que las acciones de implementación de las NDC puedan asociarse más fácilmente a las agendas de salud, educación, tecnología, derechos humanos, economía, para buscar aliados en cada tema.

Pregunta 6: Llegar a través de herramientas con enfoque intercultural y basado en las formas de vida en la que están acostumbrados. Entender su idiosincrasia, sus dificultades y aspiraciones para brindar opciones atractivas y asequibles; que no los ponga en conflicto con los roles asumidos en su comunidad local. 

Pregunta 7: Evitar degenerar o migrar una iniciativa de formativa y participación equitativa a una instrumentalización de la buena voluntad y entusiasmo que tienen los jóvenes, en la generación de programas de voluntariado. Muchas veces la línea se vuelve delgada y es común que instituciones tanto no gubernamentales como del gobierno planteen programas de voluntariado que no tengan un propósito formativo específico para el/la joven (insertarlo en el mercado laboral, bridar herramientas de liderazgo o emprendimiento), sino se queden únicamente en las activaciones puntuales sin un contexto o fondo detrás, ni un seguimiento post-programa del voluntario para evaluar el verdadero impacto de su iniciativa.

Hello everyone! Hola con todas y todos!

My name is Maria and I´ll be helping with the moderation this week. I´m a youth climate - environmental activist, IWRM specialist working in Andean ecosystems and rural nature based solutions (NbS) for water security. I have more than 6 years of experience in youth capacity building and incidence for climate and environmental governance at international, national and local level. I´m also an active member of the Peruvian Youth against Climate Change colective. 

So ready to read all from you, your experiences and the discussions we´re already having. 

Hello I'm Anubhavi and very passionate about making a change even as an individual. I'm tired of watching documentaries and especially meeting sustainability professionals, aware of current scenarios and implementing zero changes in their daily life. It's all about talks and nothing has changed in reality except a few exceptions; so, as an individual- I'm more careful about my water and food consumption, I've started planting trees in wastelands (and flowering plants for insects at home) and creating birdhouses to revitalise the dwindling population of endangered species (starting with birds). I'm 27 and this is just a start, as I'll continue to explore how to contribute to the environment in addition to the same in my profession. 

Hi everyone!

Here are my opinions based on my experiences as volunteer in Techo para mi Pais (Some years ago) and Jóvenes Peruanos frente al Cambio Climático (currently), both in Peru.

Question 5: In my opinion, having a good multi-year plan and being a formal institution (or being part of one) can help youth organizations gain trusted. I know this is not an easy task as most of them are volunteers and is hard to start this process. I believe that this could help not only climate action, but youth organizations in general, so the government could make alliances with business schools and other formal organizations so they can teach new groups how to formalize and do good planning. This will also allow them to systematize their experiences and create easier bridges to approach to different agencies responsible of the NDC. Is also important to create spaces to communicate with other organizations and aim for common goals when possible.

Question 6: Creating and promoting theses spaces are not enough, the opportunity cost of being part of these meetings might be to high for vulnerable youth groups. Is important to create incentives and show that they not only will contribute to reduce emissions, but also that during these spaces they might get opportunities to scape poverty or obtain help to treat any problem they might have (mental, addictions). This could be achieved by doing participation clinics, where help is also offered in a secure space. Here they can also contribute with their point of view about climate change. This should be a multisectoral effort, but could help increase the participations of marginalized.

Question 7: Paying for participation would be a bad practice because it might create biases in their responses (pro the stakeholder that paid). Another bad practice would be to only inform about the impacts of policies and not create tools that help youth organizations enforce the commitments done by the policy maker or other stakeholder. Also, patronise young people or making feel that they don't have enough experience can have negative impacts in their suggestions. Is important to respect every participant and be open to what they might bring to the table. Also, the stakeholder should acknowledge the youth's cultural values in order to avoid imposing their vision and/or language. Approaching communities without going through their own stablished channels can have negative impacts in the communities' dynamics after the stakeholder leaves.

¡Hola a todos! Me llamo Estefanía Cortez y soy abogada especialista en Derecho Ambiental y de los Recursos Naturales (Perú). Me gustaría compartir con ustedes algunos pensamientos e ideas de mi trabajo dentro de Jóvenes Peruanos contra el Cambio Climático (JPCC), así como de mi investigación individual.

P2: ¿De qué temas y cuestiones se siente particularmente orgulloso de haber abordado para contribuir a una acción climática justa y ambiciosa, ya que de otra manera no habrían sido planteados o incluidos por otros actores? Actualmente, vengo participando activamente del recojo y sistematización de aportes al Plan Nacional de Adaptación al Cambio Climático de Perú (NAP). Como tal, dicho instrumento normativo resulta crucial para un país como el nuestro, en donde - debido a nuestras limitaciones tecnológicas y de diversificación de actividades económicas - nuestra mejor opción es apuntar a un fuerte componente de adaptación en todos los sectores. Particularmente, creo que los aportes más relevantes que pretendemos llevar adelante en este proceso - y previamente a la aprobación del NAP - es la inclusión de la evaluación de riesgos e impactos de la Salud Mental en temas relacionados al cambio climático ("ecoansiedad"), así como de la gestión de la Innovación, Investigación y Tecnología para efectos del monitoreo y fiscalización de nuestros avances.

P3: ¿En qué ámbitos, niveles y fases de elaboración de políticas ha resultado más difícil para usted participar? ¿Por qué? Creo que a nivel nacional - e inclusive internacional - se subestima la capacidad e interés de la juventud en participar de los procesos normativos y de elaboración de políticas. Las ganas de la juventud de involucrarse en la acción y no solamente a nivel de comentarios o sugerencias es una de las principales barreras identificadas. En ese sentido, creo que si bien la participación está abierta a todos los grupos sociales con principal atención a los denominados "grupos vulnerables" no se ha logrado aterrizar la inclusión de dicha participación de manera real, limitando su accionar únicamente a la discusión de normativas o consultas públicas, sin proveer una plataforma legal para que seamos los jóvenes los principales vigilantes de su cumplimiento.

P4: ¿Ha sido difícil/problemático para usted involucrarse en el activismo climático? ¿Por qué? ¿Puedes ofrecer recomendaciones para asegurar una mejor experiencia juvenil en el activismo? Si bien mi participación en el activismo juvenil es reciente (poco más de 1 año), pude reconocer casi de inmediato que la falta de representación juvenil legítima era una barrera que limitaba la conversación horizontal con actores estatales clave. Nuestro compromiso por cambiar las cosas y por mantener viva la discusión sobre el cambio climático se alimenta por como se visualiza el sector de jóvenes en la sociedad, y de nuestro alcance para ser escuchados. Creo que es una tarea pendiente poder apostar por una fórmula que intente agrupar a los jóvenes bajo colectivos organizados y reconocidos a nivel nacional para mantener abierta la búsqueda de soluciones a la problemática del cambio climático.

1. In which arenas/fields of climate action have you been involved, and what was your experience? What has worked, and what has not? I have been serving as an NGO Youth Representative at the UN for the last five years on behalf of an Australian NGO called Caring and Living As Neighbours (CLAN). Last year, I was elected to serve as a Director on the Global NGO Executive Committee, the first young person to serve in this capacity as a liaison between the UN and NGOs affiliated with UN DGC. My work on the Executive Committee has been devoted to amplifying Indigenous and youth voices, maximizing inclusion of NGOs without much visibility in NYC.  Specific to climate action, I co-authored and founded the Global Youth Climate Action Declaration (GYCAD) and now lead the Core Team. The GYCAD is a set of 77 key climate policy action items co-created, defined, and refined by young climate activists from around the globe. The intention of the GYCAD is to serve both as a knowledge platform & as a climate policy toolkit that empowers people to make climate action a tangible reality in their home communities. The GYCAD Core Team is currently in the midst of organizing the Localizing Climate Justice Conference alongside the former Mayor of Salt Lake City, which will take place on September 25th and 26th. Preregistration and conference details can be found at GYCAD.ORG/LCJC . The conference will convene global Mayors, youth climate activists, sustainability experts, and other key stakeholders in order to spotlight innovative local actions addressing climate justice from around the globe and to encourage discourse between youth and policymakers on climate. I'd like to extend an invitation to all of you to join us for the conference and collaborate for the climate! Outside of my UN engagement, I just completed my Masters degree in Environmental Policy as a Presidential Scholar at Lehigh University.           
2. What topics and issues do you feel particularly proud you have addressed to contribute to just and ambitious climate action, since these would otherwise not have been raised or included by other actors? I am proud to have catalyzed the Global Youth Climate Action Declaration. The GYCAD was first drafted during the first ever UN Youth Climate Summit in 2019 by a group of global youth united in their call for meaningful & specific policy action to address climate change. There was no formal outcome document to capture the collective youth policy demands on climate, so the GYCAD was initially created by climate activist attendees to serve as an independently crafted outcome document for the convening in the absence of a formal outcome document and subsequently spread like wildfire throughout global youth climate advocacy channels for further input. In a whirlwind of 48 hours, hundreds of young people had provided their input, an editorial team had been established, and a first draft approval process was well underway. Following the initial version of the GYCAD, the newly established Core Team embarked on a 3 month global consultative revision process where in-person dialogues & online events held space for further input to the document across multiple continents from climate experts and youth activists. Our goal is to continue this revision process on an annual basis in order to continue the platform’s relevance & utility to those looking to be part of the climate policy discourse. I am enormously proud to share that this document is an inclusive living document, open to revisions and further evolution. This can be thought of as a sort of youth Paris Agreement or Green New Deal as it is the first instance of young people coming together from around the globe to voice specific policy demands. The GYCAD is committed to climate action that is just, equitable, and sustainable... emphasizing that oftentimes, climate action can be negligent of justice implications.
   
    
3. Which arenas, levels and policy-making phases have proven to be more difficult for you to participate in? Why? The national arena has proven most difficult, perhaps because I live in the US and for the past 4 years, climate action has been held hostage by lack of good governance. In general though, as someone who has spent a decent bit of time in the UN system for my age, I have found it increasingly difficult to get national actors in a room with climate activists. I have attended the UN General Assembly multiple times, 71st World Health Assembly, a myriad of High-Level Political Forums, High-level Meetings, Commission on the Status of Women, and a myriad of countless other UN events. What I have found to be frustrating is that outside of a panelist from a UN Mission here and there, the spaces at these convenings that are accessible to civil society have mostly been devoid of policy makers. If Civil Society, inclusive of youth, is being given a proverbial seat at the table, it is certainly not the same table that decision-makers are sitting at. This has been my greatest frustration and my largest motivator to catalyze the LCJC which will put policymakers, youth activists, and sustainability experts together at the table on key areas for impact.                                                                       
4. Has it been hard / problematic for you to engage in climate activism? Why? Can you offer recommendations to ensure better youth experiences in activism? Often, it can be overwhelming to know where to start with climate activism. The space feels so large and nebulous, yet there are some key groups such as YOUNGO and UNEP MGCY that really anchor young people together. If I had to make one strong recommendation, it would be to enhance platforms for collaboration and coordination between activists/Civil Society on a visualized platform. I have had this vision for a "social good media" for quite a while and would love to chat more about this with UNDP to see if we could actualize it. Also, enhanced streams for funding of youth climate activism. For many of us in the climate activism space, we are doing this out of passion for the cause and spend 20+ hours a week on our advocacy work. If there were more funding streams for young people who are making headway on climate justice, our efforts would be much more sustainable and concentrated. Youth climate activism is enormously powerful and effective, however it often is infeasible for those who cannot afford to devote time to unpaid work. In many cases, young people do the same (if not more) work than paid organizers, yet are more often than not unpaid unless they really advocate for themselves. 
5. (How) can young people themselves better self-organise to ensure that their voices, experiences, expertise, and ideas are heard in the NDC enhancement process/ climate action? When you find out, let me know! Kidding aside, younger generations are inherently collaborative and innovative. I think moreso than a question of how young people can better self-organize, it is a question of how the receiving end (nation states) can better posit themselves to actually hear and value the voice of young people. Additionally, a potent means of ensuring their voices are heard could be transcending the silo of climate action and relating planetary wellbeing to all facets of governance. Often, I find that it is only the Ministries or government agencies that have a direct influence on climate policy that are even conscious of the specifics of climate action. If young people can adopt an intersectional approach to climate action that ties climate to all other facets of governance and approaches policymakers accordingly, I believe our requests for climate justice will become much more tangible to those in power across sectors.
6. Especially looking at vulnerable and the most marginalized youth groups, how would you recommend governments, UN agencies and your own organisation ensure the meaningful participation of these groups? Some of the most marginalized groups in our world are not represented by national narratives. It is by transcending national participation and ensuring community participation that we are truly able to capture the voices of those who are typically marginalized by systems of power and made vulnerable within the societal context. Particularly in the context of nations established through colonialism, it is imperative to ensure that Indigenous communities are actively part of any policy decision-making processes and are still recognized as traditional stewards of the land. For vulnerable and underrepresented populations, it is of utmost importance that policymakers consider these groups as stakeholders when making decisions that will inevitably impact the communities they serve. Additionally, we must develop systems of participation for these communities when the national party is not interested in allowing the voices of these marginalized communities to be heard or part of national discourse. For In reference to climate action, not all climate actions are just. So it is important to ensure that when advocating for or developing climate reform that we ask ourselves key questions about "where is power concentrated? Where is it not? Who is impacted positively by this shift in policy? Who is impacted negatively? Is anyone left out entirely?". Most importantly, the best way to engage marginalized populations is to listen, to ask questions about their lived experiences, and to act upon their recommendations.
    
7. What are some of the approaches/activities you would recommend stakeholders at global, regional or national/local levels avoid when trying to meaningfully involve youth (e.g. tokenism, overlooking intersectionality)? Provide specific examples. Tokenism is one of the worst offenders. It implies that youth are at the table simply due to age while being negligent of the fact that many youth are, in fact, experts in their field. That being said, the best way to guarantee generational equity is to look at existing leadership structures and ask "how to better include young people in actual decision-making processes?". At national/local, regional, and global levels, it is imperative to ensure that advisory boards and legislative bodies are mindful to include young people in their discourse-- remembering that the term "youth"  applies to many young professionals in addition to students. 
    
8. What methods and tools have proven to be helpful to enhance your active participation and activism in climate action? Honestly, since COVID-19 hit, it has been much easier to engage people around the globe because we all have become reliant on cyberspace for our activism work rather than being tethered to physical conference spaces (which typically limits who is able to participate). Discussion forums like this are a great way of understanding the various perspectives and contexts on the ground for so many individuals and serves as a great way to connect with fellow activists around the globe. Thank you for holding space for us on this platform!     The Global Youth Climate Action Declaration (GYCAD) has been a really helpful tool for myself and other young people looking to actively participate in climate action. I would recommend anyone to check it out! It was created with the intention of coalescing the youth perspective on climate action into a tangible policy toolkit and knowledge empowerment platform that young people can take to their legislators and say "these are the specific policies we'd like to implement in our community... beyond nebulous climate action!". I have called my own legislators and had a candid conversation about some of these policies in our community. Which leads me to share my absolute favorite guidelines for social participation... Yale Professor Susan Clark's "Social Context Mapping". This has been THE MOST helpful thing for me in bringing climate action into a local context and strategically planning how to make implementation feasible. 10/10 would recommend reading her work.
9. Would you like to discuss any additional issues in a more in-depth interview? Yes, absolutely. I am happy to assist in whatever capacities are needed.

Thank you for taking the time to read this! Please let us know if you would like to get involved in the Localizing Climate Justice Conference on September 25th & 26th! Registration and details can be found at http://gycad.org/LCJC/. I've attached the flyer and concept note! We are still accepting requests for co-sponsorship & speakers.

LCJC Concept Note.pdf570.32 KB

LCJC flyer.pdf1.44 MB

Sobre la Pregunta 2: ¿Qué temas y cuestiones te sientes especialmente orgulloso de haber abordado para contribuir a una acción climática justa y ambiciosa, ya que de otro modo no hubieran sido planteados o incluidos por otros actores?

Buenas tardes, mi nombre es Pierina Egúsquiza Cerrón, soy una abogada peruana especializada en derecho ambiental y desde mi experiencia a través de las acciones de incidencia que vengo realizando con la organización a la que pertenezco desde su creación en el 2016, Colectivo Jóvenes Peruanos frente al Cambio Climático - JPCC, un hito importante para nosotros ha sido la inclusión del enfoque intergeneracional en la Ley Marco sobre cambio climático - Ley N ° 30754 aprobado por el Congreso de la República del Perú en el año 2018 donde nos involucramos activamente a través del Equipo de Incidencia Nacional realizando aportes a través de informes técnicos - legales que resaltaron la alta vulnerabilidad de los jóvenes frente al cambio climático y propuestas normativas para la inclusión de la participación juvenil en la gestión climática.

El Enfoque Intergeneracional que normativamente se ha definido como  "Las decisiones y acciones tomadas por las generaciones actuales corresponden a las futuras generaciones pueden tener derecho a vidas seguras y saludables en un entorno ambiental sostenible de no menor calidad al de la generación actual" , ha permitido que en las políticas públicas climáticas que se elaboren se considere también el impacto a los jóvenes y las generaciones futuras y por ende permite que se garantice la participación de jóvenes y adolescentes. 

Asimismo, como parte de nuestra estrategia se tuvieron reuniones con asesores de congresistas, pronunciamientos y reuniones de coordinación con otras organizaciones de la sociedad civil (ONGs, Pueblos Indígenas, Sindicatos, etc) y participación como observadores de debates de la Comisión del Congreso encargada de elaborar el dictamen del proyecto de Ley de cambio climático.

Otro hito importante para nosotros ha sido que en la etapa de elaboración y proceso participativo del Reglamento de la Ley Marco sobre Cambio Climático, aprobada en el 2019 con Decreto Supremo Nº 013-2019-MINAM, solicitamos a través de oficios cursado al Ministerio del Ambiente que se realice un diálogo exclusivo con juventudes para que se incorporen sus aportes al referido instrumento normativo. Al respecto, y aunque este diálogo no fue un diálogo nacional con todas las juventudes representativas de las diferentes regiones del Perú -puesto que sólo participaron 100 jóvenes y sobre todo de la capital de Lima- consideramos fue un primer gran paso para el acercamiento de las juventudes con el Ministerio del Ambiente en la formulación de políticas climáticas.

Posterior a ello, y gracias a que diferentes organizaciones juveniles comenzaron a involucrarse cada ves más en el proceso del reglamento de la ley marco de cambio climático, JPCC solicitó durante todo el proceso participativo del referido reglamento y a través de Cartas cursadas al Ministerio del Ambiente que se incorpore una representante de las juventudes en la Comisión Nacional de Cambio Climático, Comisión creada desde el año 1993 y reactivada en el 2009, que es un espacio de articulación entre el estado y la sociedad civil (Academia, ONGs, Pueblos Indígenas, sector privado ) para realizar seguimiento a los compromisos climáticos del país y la CMNUCC y proponer políticas climáticas. Ante este pedido y con la presión de otros colectivos juveniles e individuos el Ministerio del Ambiente viene realizando desde el año 2019 un proceso de diálogo con las juventudes a través de la creación de un Grupo Impulsor de Jóvenes para que estos elaboren una hoja de ruta para la implementación de la representación juvenil en la Comisión Nacional de Cambio Climático. 

Sin duda alguna considero que ninguna de estas acciones que les he relatado hubiera sido posible sin el impulso y conocimiento que desde JPCC hemos adquirido con el pasar de los años y es que en su momento cuando nos planteamos esta ruta de incidencia político-normativa no vimos que el actor "juventudes" haya sido incluido en ninguna de las políticas climáticas Ley y Reglamento de Cambio Climático o en la formulación de las NDC, puesto que los jóvenes hemos sido vistos por el Estado peruano como benefactores de sus políticas mas no actores clave en la etapa de formulación e implementación de las mismas y por ello muchas de sus políticas adolecen de conocer en realidad las necesidades, percepciones y diferentes visiones de las juventudes del país. 

Asimismo, vimos también que no existían las condiciones habilitantes para incluir nuestra participación ni aportes y por ello decidimos tomar acción utilizando los canales institucionales y formales, así como también la articulación con otros actores de la sociedad civil y poco a poco poner en la agenda pública del Ministerio del Ambiente la necesidad de articulación con las juventudes diversas que existen en el Perú , y por supuesto considero también que un factor que ha apoyado mucho a promover la participación de las juventudes es sin duda la creación del Movimiento Fridays For Future y su repercursión en nuestro país con Viernes por el Futuro Perú puesto que no es merito de una sola organización juvenil la promoción de la voz de las juventudes sino el despertar y accionar de varios individuos y organizaciones juveniles que han estado trabajando y alzando su voz en diferentes espacios ambientales y/o climáticos desde tiempo atrás como Tierra Activa, RUA PERU, Red Interquorum entre otras más.

A todas ellas ya cada joven en el mundo que participa o se inicia en la gestión climática de su país muchas gracias !! la lucha continúa !! 

Saludos 

P1: Soy egresada de la Primera Academia para jóvenes lideres sobre cambio climático en Panamá, posterior a esta capacitación los jóvenes nos mantenemos unidos y hemos creado una organización de la sociedad civil. Este tipo de capacitación nos ha servido como base para emprender una profesión consiente del cambio climático y que esta accionando para lograr los objetivos del Acuerdo de Paris. Hoy en día, somo los jóvenes los que estamos educando en a la sociedad sobre cambio climático.  No hemos logrado participar en los procesos en materia de cambio climático.

P2: en Panamá los jóvenes lideramos y comunicamos un articulo constitucional sobre cambio climático que se logro incluir y aceptar sin modificación de los gobernantes en el paquete de reformas constitucionales de nuestro país. Esta fue una propuesta de la sociedad civil, de jóvenes profesionales, que nadie en esas mesas había pensado en proponer.

P3: Planificación o ideas base, siempre se nos considera solos en las consultas publicas cuando ya está todo elabora y donde pocas veces se hacen modificaciones.

P5: si, deben hacerlo. Primero deben capacitarse en temas de cambio climático. Esto es deber de las partes como se establece en el articulo 12 del Acuerdo de Paris, existe acceso a la información técnica pero no una educación o capacitación como tal. Luego de estar capacitados deben estar muy bien organizados y deben saber comunicar el tema. No es solo hacer un activismo es realmente contribuir a la lucha, apoyar en investigación científica, proyectos de mitigación o adaptación, publicación en redes sociales con  contenido oficial del tema.