Last November, the Egyptian resort town of Sharm El Sheikh hosted hundreds of young climate advocates from more than 140 countries during the 17^th United Nations Climate Change Conference of Youth (COY17), which happened ahead of the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference or the 27^th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27).

Designed to serve as a space for capacity building and policy training to prepare young people for their participation at COP27, the youth-led conference has been an annual event under YOUNGO, which is UNFCCC’s official children and youth constituency.

Its 17^th edition was organized and led by Sustainable, El Emam Foundation, Enviro-X, youthinkgreen Egypt, and Youth Loves Egypt, with the support of the Egyptian Ministry of Youth and Sports and with endorsement from the COP27 President Designate.

The key outcome of COY17 is the Global Youth Statement, which is a policy document containing inputs from young leaders across the world on the different issues, challenges, and action points they believe should be included to advance climate action.

The policy document outlined detailed recommendations on different topics ranging from adaptation and mitigation to just renewable energy transition and climate finance.

The statement included a call to fulfill the commitment of Global North countries to a dedicated finance facility for Loss and Damage to enable most affected people and areas (MAPA) and climate-vulnerable countries to cope with the effects of the climate crisis.

Demands of COY17 from COP27

“From heat waves across Europe to droughts across Africa and massive flooding in Asia, the past year of extreme weather events have served as another visible wake-up call for humanity,” the Global Youth Statement highlighted adding that our political leaders should take concrete actions.

“We have no more time to lose. Our future literally depends on it,” the text reads.

Here are some of the issues and demands that were included in the Global Youth Statement:

• Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE): There is a need to acknowledge the significance of ACE as a key pillar of climate action through adopting a robust ACE Action Plan with universal metrics and attributions to each element.

• Adaptation and Resilience: The global goal of Adaptation must be clearly defined, understood, and implemented in an inclusive, systemic, and transformational manner.

• Arts, Culture, and Heritage: A comprehensive solid legal framework must be in place to ensure the protection of rights and intellectual properties so we can collectively enhance climate education and broaden reach.

• Climate Action Plans and Global Stocktake: Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and Global Stocktake (GST) processes must give equal emphasis to both mitigation and adaptation and loss and damage, paying attention to the principles of just transition and to human rights, including intergenerational equity. The NDC and GST processes must develop avenues to foster youth skills and meaningfully include them in their design and implementation.

• Climate Finance and Markets: It is necessary to create a transparent, grant-based, and concessional financial scheme for the delivery of all previous pledges, including the Paris Agreement and the Glasgow Climate Pact.

• Climate Justice and Human Rights: Parties should respect, protect, and promote all human rights when designing climate policies and strategies.

• Food and Agriculture: Parties must promote agroecology as a sustainable pathway towards a robust and resilient food system, support policies, which integrate sustainable consumption and promote green jobs at global, national, and sub-national levels.

• Health: Policy development at the intersection of climate change and health must be accelerated via knowledge transfer and global research, leveraging the potential of digital technologies. This must encompass different healthcare sectors, including infectious diseases control, food system, mental health, and disaster management.

• Loss and Damage: Loss and Damage must be annually and permanently included in the COP negotiation agenda. At the same time, COP must establish a Loss and Damage Financing Facility with effective, transparent, and grant-based resources, that are decoupled from adaptation and mitigation funding. The Santiago Network mandate must be effectively operationalized and sufficiently financed.

• Nature and Biodiversity: Any restoration measures must be designed carefully after assessing the pre-existing ecology of the target ecosystem, with outcomes being properly monitored against transparent criteria. 

• Oceans: Ocean-related impacts must be taken into account in loss and damage negotiations. Increased attention must be directed to funding and implementing nature-based infrastructure for coastal buffers to mitigate coastal damage.

• Politics, Policymaking, and Governance: Parties must design effective and just NDCs, National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), and climate policies aligned with scientific guidance, as well as mechanisms of implementation that are coordinated with local and regional governance, inclusive of all members of society and enforceable long-term.

• Reimagining and Transforming Economies: A just transition of the workforce and the creation of quality green jobs must be prioritized to ensure the development of climate-resilient, just, and sustainable economies.

• Technology and Innovation: Earmarking of finance to support young innovators and increase technology transfer targets must be established to foster more impactful and long-lasting change in receiving countries.

• Water: Local, regional, and global participation of youth must be established and institutionalized in the water and climate sector for knowledge exchange, networking, innovation and technological interventions, and capacity building.

The recent COP27 marked the first time that young people were provided with a dedicated space to host dialogues and discussions on global climate action.  The key findings of the policy document were introduced via two (2) roundtables under the Youth-led Climate Forum on Young and Future Generations Day. This was also the first time that the Global Youth Statement was directly sent to the COP Presidency’s action agenda where youth representatives, ministers, and negotiators were able to discuss the expectations and the demands outlined by global youth climate activists.

Why young voices matter

During COY17, organizers highlighted the importance of linking youth voices with COP processes.

“COY17 represented a leap transformation point in the role of youth in enforcing climate action across the global climate agenda,” said Abdelrahman Fahmy from youthinkgreen International.

While most policy conversations are still happening without young people, many youth climate advocates around the world are speaking out to join the call for accountability and climate justice.

“We welcome the great work done to produce a rich, comprehensive, and detailed policy statement that we consider a very important input to the COP negotiations and its outcomes,” said Ambassador Wael Aboulmagd, Special Representative of the COP27 President.

The unified demands of the global youth will ensure an inclusive approach to climate governance that acknowledges the disproportionate impact of the climate crisis on our communities.

With the 18^th COY and 28^th COP happening in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) next year, we must further recognize the role that youth leaders play in our climate movement and respond to their demands and needs.

About the author:

Ferth Vandensteen Manaysay was one of the Philippine delegates for the 17^th United Nations Climate Change Conference of Youth (COY17) in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. He is a Climate Reality Leader trained during the 2016 Climate Reality Leadership Corps Training in Manila. Ferth is currently the deputy manager and programs lead of the Climate Reality Project Philippines. He has also been appointed as vice chairperson and sectoral representative of Young People from Disaster-Stricken Areas at the United Nations Youth Advisory Board (UNYAB). Ferth has worked with local and international non-governmental and academic organizations, including Climate Catalyst, Yayasan Peta Bencana (Disaster Map Foundation), Asia Foundation, Ateneo School of Government, and East-West Center. He earned his Master of Arts degree in International Relations from Waseda University.