16-year-old Youth Climate Champion Catarina Lorenzo highlights how important it is for youth to participate in decision-making. According to Lorenzo, “children are among the most vulnerable groups, yet their voices are often excluded.” She draws attention to the distinct viewpoints that kids offer, such as their natural affinity for the outdoors and their personal knowledge of the effects of climate change, including floods and disruptions to school.
Despite being a third of the world’s population, children only receive 2% of worldwide philanthropy donations in development, which is a worrying number, according to Lorenzo. “We need concrete actions,” she says, urging increased funding and a special part in national climate contributions devoted to youngsters and children. Although she notes that there are more young people attending COP events than in previous years, she emphasizes that their opinions are being ignored during crucial negotiations.
Gaps in meaningful inclusion still exist, despite programs like the COP29 Youth Delegates Program, which is headed by Presidency Youth Climate Champion Leyla Hasanova and aims to teach youth technical advocacy and policy-making. Yitong Li, a youth advocate, acknowledges that young participation is becoming more popular but bemoans the tokenistic character of many encounters.
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