Beyond “Youth Cleansing”: How to Make Youth Representatives More Influential at COP Meetings
The author was in a street protest during COP15.Photo courtesy of Eduarda Zoghbi
After attending the COP26 conference in Glasgow, I was amazed at how much youth representatives have changed in these conferences over the years.
I participated in the COP for the first time in 2009. I am a high school student living in Denmark participating in an exchange program, and I am already interested in solving climate change issues. At the time, COP did not open its doors to civil society. To get inside, you need to be part of a government delegation or a strong private sector company. I asked my school how to get accreditation, but no one knows how to get it. Friends are trying to get tickets for the Green Zone—— Space for the public to express their opinions through seminars and events -Due to the high demand, this is still almost impossible.
Unable to participate in COP15, I decided to take the train to Copenhagen and join the street protests. At the age of 16, I was one of the few young people present, most of whom were Danes or representing the northern part of the world. It was not until 2016, in Marrakech, that I was finally able to enter the blue zone of COP22, where negotiations were conducted, and the National Pavilion displayed their work in side events.The reason for this opportunity is because participate, A youth-led organization from my home country of Brazil. Since 2012, the organization has been working hard to combat climate change and increase the participation of youth from the global South at COP meetings.
The United Nations officially recognized YOUNGO, the youth constituency of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, at COP17 in 2011. Engajamundo and other youth organizations from different countries started working with YOUNGO to influence the climate negotiations of the COP. The inclusion of education in the Paris Agreement is a direct result of youth advocacy. Every year, young people promote their national negotiators to take more ambitious actions in the country and the blue zone at the COP meeting.
This year, the Italian government organized a pre-Youth COP event in Milan for the first time, and invited two young representatives from each country to develop a basic document, in which recommendations were submitted to the world minister. I am responsible for drafting the climate education part of this document, and I am very involved in other discussions involving finance, energy transition and adaptation. In order to promote the status of women in the energy sector and advocate for climate justice, I conveyed these views at COP26 events in Milan and Glasgow.
Author at COP22 and member of Engajamundo, a youth-led organization.Photo courtesy of Eduarda Zoghbi
Despite these efforts to involve young people, the general feeling is that more and more organizations, companies and governments are insisting on “youth cleansing.” Everyone wants to show the face of climate activists in their ads to show that they are committed to the next generation, but the reality is very different. For example, during the Milan event, I kept in close contact with the climate education focal points in the UK and Italy because they are organizing a COP26 event with the Minister of Education to debate our proposal. I asked to be involved and was told to contact them via email. I did it. I never heard back.
This is no exception; this is a rule. In these events, young people are marked every day. I have witnessed many incidents about the importance of young people in the climate negotiation process, and they have never asked youth representatives to speak. Other activities shared their commitment to the youth, but did not invite them to live in the same room. Acknowledging us is easy, but what we need is for the government and private stakeholders to translate our words into actions.
But the tide is changing. Although we have been on strike for a long time, Greta Thunberg has become a symbol of climate activism. Fortunately, this has aroused the interest of many people. Now we have more young people joining this struggle than ever before. With the increase of youth participation, the need for change is also increasing. COP26 may be one of the largest youth representatives in history. I do know that the Brazilian Youth Delegation is the largest and most diverse delegation ever, with many indigenous representatives, trans women, black communities, and Friday as future youth members.
Looking back on the days when I went on strike alone in Copenhagen, I was full of hope to see the new movement of young people fighting for the space they deserve in climate negotiations. Now I want to see all these different representatives turn into negotiation space. I am still waiting for countries to follow the example of Panama and Mexico, whose government delegations are full of young women. I am still waiting for marginalized youths from small islands and rural communities to admit that they have a say in the COP. Finally, I am waiting for the day when young people will no longer be underestimated and discriminated against because of skin color, gender, age and race, so that we can get microphones and opportunities to speak.
The problem is that we don’t have time to wait.
Eduarda Zoghbi is a graduate student of Columbia University’s Master of Public Administration program, focusing on energy and environment, specializing in gender and public policy.
