New Delhi: Twenty-six Maldivian youths gathered in the capital city Thursday, for the “Youth Track to COP29” event, urging governments worldwide to prioritize the needs of children in the face of climate change. The event, organized by UNICEF Maldives, the Ministry of Climate Change, Environment and Energy, and the Office of the Special Envoy for Climate Change, served as a platform for young people to formulate recommendations for national climate policies.
According to a UNICEF press release, Maldives, a nation particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change due to its low-lying geography, faces significant challenges from rising sea levels, floods, wave surges, and coral bleaching. These phenomena directly impact the well-being of children, posing threats to their health, education, safety, and future.
Young people in the Maldives are advocating for their inclusion in climate policy discussions and decision-making processes, emphasizing the need for their participation in the development of the Maldives’ Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) 3.0, a crucial document outlining the country’s efforts to mitigate climate change, the release added.
Three young delegates will present the recommendations drafted during the event to the head of the Maldives’ delegation to COP29, scheduled for 11 and 12 November in Baku, Azerbaijan. The recommendations highlight the urgent need for climate action, emphasizing the disproportionate burden faced by children and young people despite their minimal contribution to the problem.
The three-day event, which included mock COP negotiations, climate science sessions, and the launch of a podcast series titled “Speak-Easy,” aimed to foster dialogue between youth and experts on climate solutions. The event highlighted the importance of empowering young people as agents of change. Honorable Thoriq Ibrahim, Minister of Climate Change, Environment, and Energy from the Maldives, emphasized that while children and young people from countries like the Maldives contribute the least to climate change, they are the ones bearing its heaviest burdens.
UNICEF Maldives, a key partner in the initiative, closely collaborates with the Government of Maldives to implement General Comment 26 on child rights, environmental protection, and climate change. This collaboration includes the “Climate Resilient Actions” flagship program, which has established a network of young “Climate Guardians” across four islands in the Maldives.
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