Youth play an important role in acting toward intergenerational justice, equity, and resilience, especially in the face of widespread climate change that threatens their future. However, youth face a number of challenges in engaging with climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies, including a lack of awareness and access to relevant institutions and processes, youth inclusion in policies and plans, and knowledge and capacities.
It is vital to engage youth in the formulation of policies and plans at local, national, and global level, including Nationally Determined Contributions and National Adaptation Plans. Article 6 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and Article 12 of the Paris Agreement seek to reduce the impacts of climate change by enabling society including youth as a whole to be part of the solution through education and training for a climate resilient and low-emission future. As such, youth are represented in UNFCCC negotiations and other UN events related to climate change through YOUNGO, the official Youth Constituency of the UNFCCC.
Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE) is a term adopted by the UNFCCC to denote work under Article 6 of the UNFCCC and Article 12 of the Paris Agreement that sets out an overarching goal to empower society including youth to engage in climate action through education, training, public participation, public awareness, public access to information, and international cooperation. In addition to the opportunities for countries to integrate the six elements of ACE in the NDC revision process, countries should ensure that youth are included as a key stakeholder in the NAP process by following the guidance provided by the NAP Technical Guidelines regarding climate change education and training.
The engagement and empowerment of youth in climate action at a local, national, and global level as well as in the United Nations Climate Change process and at all decision-making levels to address climate-related vulnerabilities and become climate champions is necessary and should be supported and encouraged.
The Global Youth Forum on Climate Change (GYFCC) was first organized in 2016 by SLYCAN Trust in partnership with the Climate Change Secretariat of the Ministry of Environment of Sri Lanka under the Sri Lanka Next programme as well as other national and international partners.
The Global Youth Forum has fostered increasing youth participation and focuses on sharing knowledge on key climate change issues, providing a platform for youth to propose ideas on climate action and research, and supporting youth to develop and improve project proposals through capacity-building and networking.
In 2020, the Global Youth Forum on Climate Change will be held from December 16th to 18th, with a Sri Lankan local-language pre-event taking place from December 14th to 15th. The Forum will include partners and collaborators from national ministries, international and local think tanks, CSOs, NGOs, and research institutions.
The goal of the Global Youth Forum 2020 is to provide a platform for young climate activists, leaders, youth organizations, and stakeholders to speak on and discuss issues and the way forward for climate change action as well as ongoing national and international climate discussions.
It focuses on four main thematic areas:
In addition to these main thematic areas, the Forum has five cross-cutting issues that will receive special attention across all areas, including just transition, participation and inclusion, education and capacity-building, means of implementation, and just recovery.
Just transition in the energy sector
- Key elements to ensure just transition in the energy sector
- Gaps and challenges faced in integrating aspects and strategies of just transition in the energy sector
- Institutional structures and role of actors in achieving just transition in the energy sector
- Entry points and opportunities for integrating just transition into climate policy initiatives and actions
- Success stories, best practices, and experience sharing on initiatives
Ensuring just transition in the food sector
- Key elements of just transition and their relation to global and local food systems
- Gaps and challenges faced in integrating aspects and strategies of just transition in the food sector
- Institutional structures and role of actors in achieving just transition in the food sector
- Entry points and opportunities for integrating just transition into climate policy initiatives and actions
- Success stories, best practices, and experience sharing on initiatives
Gender, inclusion, social protection, and cross-cutting aspects related to just transition
- Key cross-cutting aspects related to just transition
- Interlinks for integration of just transition with climate action and into different climate policy and action processes
- Impacts of COVID-19 and the role of recovery actions in contributing toward just transition
- Success stories, best practices, and experience sharing on initiatives
Executive Director
SLYCAN Trust
Director, Climate Change Secretariat of the Ministry of Environment of Sri Lanka
General Manager
Marine Environmental Protection Authority
Director
Ecosystem and Conservation Programme, SLYCAN Trust
Research & Programme Officer
SLYCAN Trust
Senior Programme Manager
SLYCAN Trust
Senior Consultant
Climate Change & Sustainability Development SLYCAN Trust
Chief Executive Officer
National Cleaner Production Center
Writer, Traveller, Storyteller
Advocacy Manager
SLYCAN Trust
Environmentalist & Senior Lecturer,Department of Botany
Eastern University
Assistant Manager North and East
Marine Environmental Protection Authority (MEPA)
Research Assistant
SLYCAN Trust
Assistant Manager - Research and Programmes
SLYCAN Trust
Additional Secretary
State Ministry of Backward Rural Areas Development and Promotion of Domestic Animal Husbandry & Minor Economic Cultivation
Senior Professor
Faculty of Engineering Technology, Open University Sri Lanka
Assistant Manager - Research and Programmes
SLYCAN Trust
Research and Programme Officer
SLYCAN Trust
Research & Programme Officer
SLYCAN Trust
Director - Farm Animal and Animal Welfare
SLYCAN Trust
Faculty of Agriculture
University of Peradeniya
Advocacy Manager
SLYCAN Trust
Food Activist
Organic Movement of North and East
Climate Smart Agriculture
Co-ordinator -
Climate Resilient Integrated Water Management Project
Janathakshan
Assistant Manager - Research and Programmes
SLYCAN Trust
Research Assistant
SLYCAN Trust
Deputy Director
Integrated Water Management Project
Faculty of Agriculture
Rajarata University
Managing Director/ Co- Founder
Lanka Good Market (Guarantee Limited)
Senior Programme Manager
SLYCAN Trust
Programme Manager
SLYCAN Trust
Executive Director
SLYCAN Trust
Director - Adaptation Division
UNFCCC Secretariat
Curator & CEO
Futur/io Institute
Convener
Youth Resilience Frontiers
Action Empowerment Unit LeadGender Focal Point and Focal Point to Women
UNFCCC Secretariat
Strategic Youth Network for Development
World View Impact
Advocate for Climate Resilience
ProgVeg International
Executive Director
SLYCAN Trust
Alumni
United Nations University, Institute for Environment
and Human Security & University of Bonn
General Manager
Marine Environmental Protection Authority
IFRC Climate Centre
Head of Knowledge Management & Scientific Affairs
Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research (APN)
Loss & Damage Youth Network
Director – Research and Education
SLYCAN Trust
Based on day 01 groups and incorporating aspects related to risk into the project (30 mins)
Senior Consultant
SLYCAN Trust
Director
LRI
Wageningen University
Wageningen University
Based on day 01 groups and incorporating aspects related to risk into the project (30 mins)
Coordinator – Green Jobs Programme
ILO
Director
ICCCAD
Global Policy Lead Climate Change and Resilience
CARE International
Senior Programme Manager
SLYCAN Trust
Climate Change Specialist
Ministry of Climate Change Pakistan
Junior Cause Strategist
The B Team
Based on day 01 groups and incorporating aspects related to the thematic focus of the session(60 mins)
CEO
Foodshed.io
Nourishing Food Systems
Programme & Communications Manager
SLYCAN Trust
Based on day 01 groups and incorporating aspects related to the thematic focus of the session(60 mins)
Registrations for the summit will be open from 14th December, 2020 via SLYCAN Trust’s website: www.slycantrust.org
For additional information related to speaking slots and partnerships, kindly contact SLYCAN Trust’s Executive Director Vositha Wijenayake directly by email: vositha@slycantrust.org