“We can’t rely on decision-makers to adopt the best policies.
They need to be pushed by a mobilized global civil society composed of people like me.”
‐Christel Hyshka, Edmonton, AB, CYD-Poznan

YOUTH at the UN climate talks

The global community has long recognized youth as key players in the implementation of sustainable development. In 2002, the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation reiterated the need for youth involvement in programmes and activities related to sustainable development. The importance of engaging the next generation of decision makers (and those who will feel the brunt of the negative impacts of climate change) has been widely agreed upon, yet youth participation within the UNFCCC process has been sparse.

Youth delegations began attending the annual two-week long international negotiations, known as COP, in 2000. Canadian youth became involved en masse in the process when the negotiations came to Montreal in late 2005: over 150 youth from across the country attended the meeting. COP‐11 in Montreal 2005 represents one of the only instances where Canadian youth participation was formally supported by the federal government and its
impacts on the youth movement, both in Canada and internationally, are still discernable today. Youth participation at COP‐11 lead directly to the creation of the
Canadian Youth Climate Coalition, the founding of the African Youth Initiative on Climate Change (which also hosted the 2nd International Conference of Youth), and
the first official Canadian Youth Delegation. For Canadian youth, and many others who participated in the Beyond Kyoto summit, Montreal represented a shift from
individual to collective organising around the negotiations. The past three year’s negotiations in Kenya, Indonesia, and Poland have always drawn strong Canadian youth delegations.

At previous negotiations, youth have:

• Organized pre-conference international youth summits to exchange experiences, learn more about the climate process and develop the youth position for the meeting;
• Served as a focal point requesting Canadians to encourage their government to create a strong international climate agreement;
• Attended the official meetings and side events as accredited observers;
• Published a daily youth newsletter to communicate with delegates;
• Held panel discussions on youth engagement at the domestic and international level to raise awareness amongst negotiators of youth’s activities and commitments;
• Organized daily theatrical events and actions inside the conference center to provide commentary on the state of the negotiations in a creative way;
• Reported to youth back at home through the global youth movement blog (itsgettinghotinhere.org);
• Met with country delegations, the UN Climate Change Secretariat, and other leaders to express youth’s views;
• Communicated our position to domestic and international media outlets; and
• Represented the youth position at the Ministerial high-level segment of the conference and at other parallel events.
• Made a significant contribution to international youth organizing including policy, media and action working groups.

Recently, youth were granted probationary official status as an observer group at the UNFCCC. This means that YOUNGOS or Youth Non-Government Organisations, can now be accredited separately from the Environmental NGO community, and enjoy the same rights and privileges as other NGOs.  Also, youth can make interventions in plenary sessions during the UNFCCC climate negotiations.