Declaration and key recommendations from children and young people for COP29

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18 November 2024

Esteemed guests and distinguished delegates of the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties,

We hope you all are well. We are 27 passionate and esteemed youth advocates from all around the world. Many of us have been severely impacted by the climate crisis, with some even having lost loved ones in climate-related disasters. We are united by a common goal: ensuring that children worldwide live in a clean, healthy, and safe environment. We aim to inspire a collective sense of responsibility and urgency, underscoring the universal truth that the fight against climate change knows no borders. Most of us have done so by reaching out to our governments or even starting our own local and international non-profits and initiatives, aiming to empower current generations to advocate for systemic change. But we also strongly believe that world leaders have a core responsibility to take these opinions into account, and make our rights and voices heard, given that we are the individuals at the forefront of the climate crisis.

An important step for children's rights was taken in September 2023 by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child when they launched General Comment 26 on children's rights and the environment with a special focus on climate change. In this guidance document for States, the Committee highlighted the urgent need to tackle environmental degradation and emphasised the challenges posed by climate change on the fulfilment of children's rights.

Another essential step was taken at COP28, when parties agreed to have an Expert Dialogue on Children and Climate Change. This Expert Dialogue marked the first time that the UNFCCC considered children's unique and heightened vulnerabilities. But what are words without action? We need these words to translate into significant climate policy initiatives or investments.

Today, as the world gathers for the "children and youth" day at COP29 in Azerbaijan, we are raising our voices. We believe it is crucial for children to be integral participants in the decision-making processes regarding climate, adaptation, mitigation, and discussions on loss and damage. The decisions made at these high-stakes discussions will dictate the future that we, as the younger generations, will inherit, and will affect the future for generations to come. We each bring unique perspectives, untainted by political agendas, and a genuine concern for the world - and children's unique perspectives and voices doesn't have to be something we should resist. Including children in these pivotal discussions is not just a symbolic gesture - it is an acknowledgment of our rights and a recognition of the intergenerational impact of climate decisions.

We, as young climate advocates, possess a deep understanding of the urgency that climate change demands, as it is our future that hangs in the balance. Young activists worldwide have succeeded in drawing global attention to the climate and ecological crises. Rather than being disregarded, their passionate advocacy has sparked meaningful conversations, influenced policies, and catalysed positive collective action on an unprecedented scale. The tireless efforts of youth-led movements have played a crucial role in elevating climate change to the top of the global agenda. We would like to outline our one key ask for State Party delegates and the UNFCCC at COP29 - please, continue to recognise the undoubtable value of incorporating children and young people into decision-making processes. We urge State Parties to continue taking our voices into consideration at the highest level, and act on them without delay, around the various negotiation tables.

Today's declaration will focus on five key areas: loss and damage, NDC's, gender equality, climate education, and a just transition in the context of climate change. Note that there are connections between these areas and several SDGs, including in particular SDGs 4 (quality education), 5 (gender equality) and 8 (decent work and economic growth).

Loss and damages relate to the way(s) in which companies and governments should be compensating for the damages caused by climate change, both past and present - and not only in monetary terms. We would like to see:

• Children and young people's rights, life and well being, in the present AND future being prioritised and continuously considered within the loss and damage fund.

• Investment in education systems which ensures that children are prepared in schools for natural disaster events, and also ensures that schooling can continue when schools are destroyed.

• Loss and damages do not just relate to monetary reparations but also address the effects of climate change on humans, society as a whole, as well as wellbeing and mental health.

Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) are an essential tool to ensure an efficient and fair transition on an international scale and the future of children should always be the utmost priority when discussing them. We would like to see:

• Governments make their NDCs more child-sensitive and integrate children in the climate decision processes relating to NDCs to ensure all stakeholders have a way to input into the process.

• Governments make NDCs and other key climate-related documents accessible in child-friendly language to enhance understanding and engagement among young people.

Gender equality in the context of climate change refers to how everyone should be represented equally in climate policies and decision-making processes. This can help create more effective climate policies and actions that are inclusive of and address the needs of all people. We would like to see:

• Annual gender audits, including at district-levels, conducted to help identify where inequalities and gender gaps exist so that relevant measures can be taken.

• Climate change and gender equality incorporated in school curriculum to deepen understanding of their interconnected impacts. This will prepare students to address complex, intersectional issues and foster a generation equipped to drive equitable and sustainable climate solutions.

• Awareness on climate and gender needs created in the communities.

• Climate policy makers ensure that there is gender equality within budgetary allocations for climate actions.

• Climate policy makers and parties take the needs, solutions and perspectives of girls and young women in all their diversities as one of their top priorities.

• Climate labs that implement gender-sensitive and responsive actions to facilitate knowledge exchange between experts and communities, including children, are promoted. These labs can also drive innovations such as seed banks and tree banks, strengthening climate adaptation and resilience.

Climate education refers to the way that we help people understand the way that the environment and the climate are being changed by human actions, and how they can better adapt to, and combat the situation. We would like to see:

• A compulsory nature-based education with an emphasis on green skills promoted in schools and funded by authorities, to allow children to learn practical skills such as tree planting and rain water harvesting but that also value nature and the earth.

• Schools make efforts to be sustainable places and have climate resilient infrastructure.

• School curriculum on climate change covers climate-change-related issues that affect the region, i.e floods, droughts.

• Climate anxiety is addressed through the education system.

• Children being taught about NDCs and documents sensitive to the climate.

Just transition refers to how the change from fossil fuels to renewable energy should be equity-focused and justice-based. We would like to see:

• A "just transition" that is equitable for all people, including children, with a particular focus on children based in marginalised communities.

• The issue of mineral extraction(s) required for renewable energy sources is respectful of local populations who will be negatively affected by such extraction(s).

• The skills for green jobs, and green job integration, start with schools:

• Under this should fall compulsory climate education, which should include aspects such as environmental engineering,

• Such education should be made accessible to all ages.

• Employers are supported in the transition so that their employees' capacity for green skills can be developed, which will also prove beneficial for profits.

Our future depends on the decisions made today, and we are here to actively participate in shaping those decisions. Let's not forget the heart of the 2015 Paris Agreement - to acknowledge that "climate change is a common concern of humankind". And our humanity is what can bind us together in an effort to make a better world for us all. Effective change stems from how these promises on paper, signed and ratified, are transformed into collective action that ensures a more just world for everyone living in it. Let the "children and youth" day at COP29 mark the beginning of a new era - one where the youngest among us play an integral role in forging a path toward a resilient, sustainable, and safe future for us all. The voice of young people is, absolutely, not a hindrance - it is, in fact, our biggest asset.

- Sincerely,