COP27 starts in 3 days! If you haven’t already, please join the virtual Island Pavilion @ COP27. We will share important highlights and insights directly from Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. Island communities have to be represented during this global meeting but also receive relevant information.
Youth from islands and from around the world have led many grassroots movements and groundbreaking initiatives. They play an increasingly prominent role in calling for action to address climate change. However, they are often faced with complex barriers in their work and activism, and have very rarely been invited into the conversations of policy makers.
The Glasgow Climate Pact, agreed at COP26 in 2021, urged “Parties and stakeholders to ensure meaningful youth participation and representation in multilateral, national and local decision-making processes, including under the Convention and the Paris Agreement”. This year and for the first time, young people will supposedly be given a ‘seat at the table’ at COP27. They will be included in public level climate discussions and policy briefings, there will be a Children and Youth Pavilion, a themed ‘Youth and Future Generations Day’ and many events about and for youth. It is hoped that COP27 will deliver a true platform for engagement and debate.
Championing youth voices in climate decision-making spaces is essential, but it should not be a marketing tool (‘youthwashing’) for politicians and corporates’ agendas. They have to promptly answer young people’s call for results and systemic change around climate adaptation.
We had the opportunity to hear the voices of leading youth activists from Trinidad & Tobago, Palau, Papua New Guinea and Seychelles during the VIS2022, to learn about their journeys and innovative solutions in tackling climate action.
For years, young islanders and youth around the world have been voicing their concerns and paving the way for much-needed action against the disproportionate impacts of the climate crisis. Intergenerational dialogues are now more than necessary to move forward. Will decision makers and leaders at COP27 be ready to listen and act?
Ecoship: A Transition Model for the Decarbonization of the Maritime Sector
Attending COP27 in-person? Join an important event by Peace Boat! Together with different partners, Peace Boat will organize several events in the UNFCCC administered Blue Zone, the civil society Green Zone, in Sharm El-Sheikh and online as part of the Virtual Ocean Pavilion.
The event will further expand the theme of climate change mitigation, adaptation and resilience by exploring Ecoship’s contribution to climate action through the diverse activities of NGO Peace Boat.