The Youth4Climate Manifesto

KEY MESSAGES

1 – YOUTH DRIVING AMBITION

MEANINGFUL PARTICIPATION – Request countries and relevant institutions to urgently ensure meaningful youth engagement and involvement in all decision-making on processes with implications on climate change and climate policy planning, design, implementation and evaluation at multilateral, national and local level with an enabling environment.

CAPACITY BUILDING – Request countries to urgently scale-up financial, administrative and logistical support to foster the engagement of youth to effectively drive climate ambition and concrete action.

FUNDING – Request countries, international organisations and public and private financial institutions to urgently dedicate, and make readily accessible, funds to support youth participation in decision-making processes with implications on climate change at all levels.

2 - SUSTAINABLE RECOVERY

ENERGY TRANSITION AND GREEN JOBS – We call for an urgent, holistic, diversified and inclusive energy transition by 2030 that prioritizes energy efficiency and sustainable energy, keeping +1.5 goal within reach; financing for capacity building, research and technology sharing to ensure a transition with decent jobs, providing adequate support for affected and vulnerable communities.

ADAPTATION, RESILIENCE AND LOSS & DAMAGE – We demand strengthening of diverse means of implementation to be made immediately available for locally-owned adaptation, resilience and loss & damage measures to ensure proper and continuous solutions reach the most vulnerable groups and regions.

NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS – We demand Nature-based Solutions be prioritized as a key strategy to address the climate crisis that also emphasizes the need for a socially just and equitable society especially by recognizing, representing, respecting and protecting local and indigenous peoples’ rights and place-based knowledge.

FINANCIAL FLOWS – We urge decision makers at all levels, in public and private sectors, to create a transparent and accountable climate finance system with robust regulation of carbon emissions, eradicating the climate investment trap in the most vulnerable communities, while ensuring equal opportunities for people of all genders, ages and backgrounds, as well as eradicating exploitation of women and child labor.

TOURISM – We demand, at COP26, the recognition of tourism’s responsibility in meeting global climate targets, and its vulnerabilities to the impacts of climate change, particularly for tourism-dependent countries (e.g. SIDS). We call for the inclusion of all stakeholders (including youth, women, indigenous communities, and other marginalized groups), in capacity building, monitoring, investment and decision-making processes, towards resilient blue and green tourism recovery.

3 – NON-STATE ACTORS’ ENGAGEMENT

INFRASTRUCTURE & FINANCE FOR NON-STATE ACTORS – Support participation of young entrepreneurs, artists, farmers, and athletes, in particular from emerging economies and marginalized groups (ethnic minorities, indigenous people, persons with disabilities, etc.), as well as already existing non-state actors with ethical and sustainable practices in the sustainable development and adoption of climate change mitigation and adaptation solutions, by facilitating access to public and private finance, as well as the development of critical infrastructure (incl. internet access).

NON-PARTY STAKEHOLDER ALIGNMENT WITH NET ZERO GOALS – A) Demand non-party stakeholders, in particular the private sector, to align current and future operations and their supply chain with net zero emissions. The transition needs to start immediately and requires clear reporting of plans and achievement of milestones, on at least an annual basis. B) Enhance environmental transparency and accountability of non-state actors by requesting robust and annual climate disclosures that include underlying source data; and ensure these disclosures and data sets are consolidated by a relevant entity.

FOSSIL FUEL INFLUENCE ON NON-STATE ACTORS & THE FOSSIL FUEL INDUSTRY AS NON-STATE ACTORS – Abolishing the fossil fuels industry must begin rapidly and immediately with a total phase out by 2030 at the latest and secure a decentralised, just transition designed for and with workers cooperatives, local and indigenous communities, and those most affected by the climate crisis and land displacement. Any non-states actors, including UN bodies, fashion, sport, art, entrepreneurship, agricultural entities etc. must not accept any fossil fuels investment, lobbying activities influence from this industry, especially in relation to international negotiations.

4 – CLIMATE-CONSCIOUS SOCIETY

SHOWCASING IMPACTS AND SOLUTIONS – Decision makers need to be held accountable in working with youth and communities to address climate change, recognizing and supporting vulnerable populations, ensuring access to various resources such as health services, and amplifying diverse voices. They must support the creation of multi-stakeholder platforms and mechanisms for sharing climate information and solutions and fostering participation in decision-making spaces.

EDUCATION – Call on governments to ensure comprehensive and universal climate change education and climate literacy for all and adequate funding for it according to international timelines. The main objective is to empower people of all ages with the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes to address climate change. Education should have a holistic approach, integrating indigenous and local knowledge, gender perspective, and promote changes in lifestyles, attitudes, and behaviour, ensuring climate-neutrality and climate-resilience of educational institutions. Key actions include: Integrating climate change learning into the curricula at all levels by introducing climate change elements into existing subjects, training policymakers, teachers, children, youth, the private sector, and communities, integrating climate change into education policies and education into climate change policies including NDCs and national adaptation plans, ensuring the review of climate education policies and coordination between ministers of education and environment, promoting formal, non-formal, and informal education, peer to peer learning, and extracurricular activities. Youth should have access to funding for youth-led projects and more access to paid internships, exchanges and capacity building activities.

PUBLIC AWARENESS AND MOBILIZATION – Call on governments and other relevant actors to raise awareness on climate change adaptation and mitigation for each person in the world, emphasizing climate refugees, through traditional media as well as using campaigns, arts, sports, entertainment, community leaders, influencers, and social media. We need to empower every person in the world to be part of the climate knowledge and solutions through capacity building programs focusing on advocacy and leadership, as well as to ensure that everyone can participate in the decision-making processes.

MEDIA – Training journalists and communicators to convey the urgency and implications of the climate crisis in a transparent, accessible, and conversational manner by simplifying scientific findings, facilitating the understanding of policies and emphasizing the existence and feasibility of solutions, regulating advertising, defining and preventing greenwashing, highlighting climate inequalities, combatting misinformation, and utilizing social media and traditional means of communication.

The Youth Café, as a youth-led and youth-serving organisation works with young men and women around Africa as a trailblazer in advancing youth-led approaches toward achieving sustainable development, social equity, innovative solutions, community resilience and transformative change. The Youth Café, as an organisation with a focus area in Environmental Preservation and Climate Change, fully supports The Youth4Climate Manifesto.