Young People at the Heart of Climate Action is What We Need

Maldives participated in the Pre-COP26 buzz event. “Our Climate, Our Present, Our Future – A SIDS Perspective” held yesterday. It was focused on providing youth climate change enthusiasts an international platform to raise their concerns in the nation’s road to climate resilience ahead of COP26. It was also an opportunity to foster partnerships with key stakeholders of the initiative. 
 
Hosted by Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Technology in partnership with the UN Maldives, The Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Technology, Ms Aminath Shauna and Special Envoy for Climate Change Ms Sabra Ibrahim Noordeen were in attendance. Accompanying them were UNICEF Deputy Regional Director for South Asia, Ms. Sun Ah Kim Suh, the British High Commissioner for Maldives, Ms. Caron Rohsler, the UN Resident Coordinator a.i., Enrico Gaveglia, Ms. Catherine Haswell representing UNRC, and experts, business leaders and young people from the Maldives and other small islands developing states (SIDS).  

 
Special Envoy made the closing remarks at the ceremony, highlighting the importance of incorporating climate change into the national curriculum. She stated that training and public awareness about the climate crisis is an essential aspect of the Paris Agreement and one that does not always get the attention it deserves. In this regard, she stressed on listening to the frustrations, anxieties, demands and solutions by young people in making policies for climate change.  
 
The bigger picture highlights the greater urgency to cutting down carbon emissions, access to resources and funding for adaptation, reassuring just transitions. Special Envoy urged for the need for young people to have more seats at the table, as policymakers, in essence, to institutionalize having young people at the heart of climate action and decision-making. 
 
Concluding her remarks, Special Envoy stated that a radical shift to renewable energy will provide the Maldives the opportunity to build the resilience needed in the coming decades.