This blog post is authored by Leonard Iyamuremye
From November 6-18th, 2022, Egypt hosted the 27th UN Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC (COP27) in Sharm El-Sheikh on climate change. As a youth organization advocating for nature and for climate justice we managed to send our delegation to attend COP27 with a view to building on previous successes and paving the way for future. According to UNEP, ’’ we now have a much clearer understanding of the extent of the potential climate crisis and what needs to be done to address it effectively’’.
Y4N COP27 delegation in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt
Odhiambo Otieno from the Storytelling unit
COP27, as the international high-level climate conference offered a chance to discuss topics that were crucial for the planet and a chance to put the resolutions from COP26 into practice. In a way, it was a crucial turning point in restoring international unity and carrying out the historic Paris Agreement as the world faces a food and energy crisis, an increase in extreme weather events, and record greenhouse gas concentrations
Who we are, and what Y4N did at COP27
Raysa França, speaks in a panel by the Club of Rome
As we are an international NGO that educates, equips, & establishes youth to lead on nature and climate solutions, we had a golden opportunity to send 9 delegates from 8 different countries across the globe and harness their critical skills, experiences, and ideas on how to better mitigate and adapt to climate change. They defended that young people must become key partners in shaping solutions which take into account the climate and biodiversity nexus and are done within an intergenerational framework. The Y4N delegation also participated in a myriad of in-person and online events, panels and side-events, collaborating with other youth-led organizations and International partners to showcase and amplify our work. Our motivation was and always is that youth have the skills, potential and experiences needed to meaningfully contribute to climate solutions and negotiations and we prove that through our work on the ground and our voices.
All the way from Glasgow, to Sharm and to Montreal (COP15) now, our message is clear:
UN Climate talks: what were the main outcomes?
Some of the main outcomes of the UN climate talks were:
🔹The need for funding for loss & damage was finally officially acknowledged by richer nations
🔹Fossil fuel interests are not going down without a fight
🔹Agricultural production has finally come under scrutiny - but food systems’ transformation still lacks visibility.
🔹The “implementation” and “African” COP did not live up to its name but momentum is building elsewhere. Falling short of many accomplishments, several commitments are now expected to be defined next year at COP28 in Dubai.
But, what did it mean for the Y4N team to be present on the ground?
Leonard, Ibrahim and Sagar at the Children & Youth Pavilion
🔹It was the first time we had our very own Youth4Nature observer badges
🔹It was the first time several of our team members met in person - after working together online for years. The power of in-person meetings cannot and should not be underestimated
🔹It saw the communal effort of youth partners such as Youth and Environment Europe (YEE), Afrika Youth Caravan, Global Youth Biodiversity Network and EARTHDAY.ORG come to fruition. To mention a few milestones, Earth Day hosted the first ever Climate Education Pavilion and for the first time ever there was a Children & Youth Pavilion at a COP, which Y4N proudly helped organize together with other 13 youth-led partner organizations such YOUNGO, UN Secretary General’s Youth Constituency, etc.
COP27 was an amazing platform: we had the first and ever Children &Youth Pavilion which gave us the space to share experiences on climate crises and youth-oriented solutions, have fun and connect with each other.
As Youth4Nature, our team got opportunities to speak at different events, organize side events, and also meet each other and share funnies at different receptions.
What did our team say as personal COP27 Experiences?
Our work doesn’t end at COP27
From all around the world, our team continues working for nature and climate, and beyond, in 2022 and 2023. Make sure to follow us on social media to keep up with our work: