COP26 One Year On: Youth Empowerment
Written by Matt McDonald, Policy Team Chair
COP26 in Glasgow hosted 30,000 delegates from 196 countries. Youth empowerment was a key theme of the conference and young people made their views clear from both inside and outside the conference.
2050 Climate Group is built on the idea that today’s young people are crucial to building a fairer, more sustainable future. That’s why it was so important for us to have delegates at COP26. To highlight how important a theme youth empowerment is, the policy team spoke to two of our delegates and got their reflections on young people’s role at COP26 and what to look out for at COP27.
Thanks to 2050 Climate Group Board Member, Kirstin McEwan and to Co-Chair of the Pint and a Plan Subgroup, Chloe Campbell for sharing their reflections!
1. At COP26, youth empowerment was a key theme, but one-year on how successful do you think making it a reality was?
Kirstin:
Including 'Youth and Public Empowerment' as a COP26 Presidency theme was a step towards highlighting the importance of younger voices and recognising that future generations have a place in COP proceedings as it is this generation which will be forced to deal with the consequences of climate inaction. Sessions dedicated to youth gave a platform to voices that would otherwise have been neglected but in the year since, I’m not sure a great deal has changed around youth inclusion in high-level climate actions.
It’s great to see that COP27 have again included a similar ‘Youth and Future Generations Day’ into the presidency themes and, for the first time, included a Children and Youth Pavilion within the Blue Zone. I hope such elements continue to highlight the value and perspectives that young people bring to the vital discussions on the climate emergency but also help to push the urgency and commitment that is often missing from proceedings.
Chloe:
I believe that the youth community building around COP26 was really positive. Particularly in Scotland, COP26 provided something tangible for young people to mobilise around. Action taken around the event made it undeniably clear that young people care about creating a liveable future and are willing to take action to achieve this.
However, inside COP26, constituency members were largely excluded. Negotiations were closed to those not in country delegations resulting in little to no youth presence, with young people sidelined to periphery events. Allowing young people limited space in the Green Zone, and little access to Blue Zone negotiation spaces, felt as though the meaningful incorporation of youth experience in decision-making spaces was being stifled in favour of the status quo which is hugely disempowering. This resulted in undelivered promises and limited progress.
The youth empowerment that I have seen around solution building for the climate crisis has not come from decision-makers and events like COP26 but from communities and youth groups themselves who are prioritising collective, accessible action and resilience building.
2. What could COP do to amplify the voices of young people (in general or from Scotland/UK specifically?)
Kirstin
While it was great to have youth representatives at different points within COP26, including young people in the key proceedings and in wider discussions alongside political leaders would give a direct line of input into global climate action and amplify the challenges young people face. While youth voices may be heard around the conference, young people are yet to truly be given a seat at the table, and properly affect change in the most important spaces.
Creating more spaces that allow young people to showcase their work, additional opportunities to join working groups or present manifestos that give a youth voice to influence decision making and put pressure on world leaders during COP is a vital next step in making greater youth representation a reality.
Chloe
The tireless work of youth activists from around the world has meant that COP is starting to facilitate conversations with young people; the Youth Constituency of the UNFCCC is present at each event and COP27 will be the first COP to host a Children and Young People Pavilion. However, the work to get youth voices into spaces of decision-making still has a long way to go. As a very basic starting point, I think that having a quota for those under 30 and a spokesperson for children and young people in each country's delegation would be a good place to start. This would ensure that the youth experience is always present in decision-making spaces.
Additionally, the UNFCCC should be funding young people from all over the world to attend COPs. It is important that the perpetually silenced lived experiences of the climate crisis are present and heard by leaders. This cannot happen if these events continue to remain inaccessible to many.
3. What advice would you give to young people attending COP27?
Kirstin
It’s helpful to plan ahead which sessions you wish to attend but also have various alternatives as rooms can fill up quickly. There are usually lots of timetables to check so having a clear idea of what you want to focus on before the day can help narrow down the endless options. Also be realistic about how much you can fit into a day at COP and take advantage of opportunities when they arise. Sometimes opportunities to connect appear out of nowhere, pavilions host evening networking events but queues for coffee and break spaces can allow you to chat informally but still make an impression.
On a practical level, prepare for long days and wear comfortable shoes. Staying hydrated, bringing snacks and factoring in breaks are very important. The days can be overwhelming so preparing both physically and mentally is important so you don’t get burnt out halfway through.
Chloe
Protect your energy! Being at an event that seems deliberately inaccessible is emotionally exhausting and extremely frustrating. Get in touch with YOUNGO to make sure that you have a support network during the event and make sure that you are spending enough time resting and processing the experience (which is easier said than done!)
4. Have you held onto those connections with other people attending COP that you made during COP26?
Kirstin
Attending the Blue Zone as part of 2050 Climate Group delegation was a great experience and following COP26 last November, I deepened my connection with the organisation, becoming part of the Board of Trustees earlier this year.
I still maintain digital connections with several fellow attendees I met during the event, and I think it is really interesting to see updates from where they are around the world and their topic specialisms. These are individuals I may never have met without my attendance at COP26 and now they provide me with a new perspective on issues and highlight aspects of the climate crisis that I might have missed.
Chloe
I was really lucky to attend COP26 which other members of the 2050 Climate Group community and formed some great friendships from there. Being able to reflect on my experience of the event with others was a necessary process for me to understand how what I had learned would affect my actions moving forward.