YECAP Reaches New Milestone for Meaningful Youth Engagement in NDCs across Pacific Island Countries

YECAP hosted a successful workshop on Meaningful Youth Engagement in NDCs in Samoa

On 14 August 2024, the Youth Empowerment in Climate Action Platform (YECAP) with co-convening partner UNFCCC RCC Asia-Pacific organized a session in Samoa at the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) focused on “Meaningful Youth Engagement in NDCs.”

This session, held with support from Sweden, brought together young leaders, government representatives, and key partners to share experiences and develop strategies for strengthening youth participation in the development and implementation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) 3.0 across the Pacific region.

Understanding and Enhancing Youth Engagement

The workshop aimed to understand how young people are engaged by their governments in preparing and implementing NDCs, identifying gaps, challenges, best practices, and lessons learned. Insights were gathered on how participants envision the inclusion of youth in the development, decision-making, financing, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of NDCs 3.0, while enhancing transparency and accountability. Young leaders also identified strategies for ensuring meaningful youth engagement in shaping NDCs 3.0, promoting a whole-of-society approach.

Dynamic Discussions with Youth and Government Representatives

The session featured speakers from the governments of Pacific Island Countries, youth representatives from Samoa and Papua New Guinea, and valuable input from GIZ, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and NDC partnership. Participants actively exchanged views on previous NDC processes, highlighting gaps, challenges, and future opportunities for meaningful youth engagement.

During the session, several key speakers shared valuable insights and experiences on fostering meaningful youth engagement in climate action. Mr. Samisoni Mumui Tupou from the Government of Tonga highlighted best practices from the Talanoa dialogues, which serve as a vital platform for youth to directly engage with stakeholders in climate action. Ms. Genevieve Jiva, representing the Government of Fiji, discussed the role universities play in raising climate awareness and facilitating youth representation in national climate policies. Meanwhile, Mr. Nicc Moeono, a youth representative from Samoa, underscored the significance of workshops and capacity-building activities in enhancing youth involvement in climate governance. Finally, Ms. Mary Konobo, a youth representative from Papua New Guinea, called for greater diversity in youth representation and stressed the importance of capacity-building initiatives to support meaningful participation in climate policy-making processes. In short, these key speakers gave a comprehensive outlook on the challenges and opportunities for youth engagement in climate action across the Pacific.

The session consolidated key recommendations to strengthen youth engagement in climate governance. One of the primary suggestions was to institutionalize youth engagement mechanisms, encouraging governments to formalize processes that embed youth involvement in climate decision-making permanently. Additionally, access and information sharing should be enhanced, with a call for governments to provide clear guidance on focal points and collaboration processes to better connect with youth networks.

To empower young people, it is important to equip young people with necessary skills, advocating for partnerships and capacity-building initiatives to address resource constraints. According to the discussion, youth networks should be broadened beyond traditional government-supported initiatives to ensure that a diverse range of experiences and perspectives contributes to shaping NDC 3.0.

Moving forward, one of the ways to foster stronger rapport and more constructive exchanges between youth and government stakeholders is to promote interactive engagement, as demonstrated through YECAP’s virtual and in-person dialogues.

Looking Ahead and Next Steps

With the active participation of young leaders and government representatives, the workshop emphasized the critical role of youth in shaping climate policy and driving ambitious climate action. Supported by Sweden, YECAP and partners continue to lead efforts in advocating for inclusive climate governance and meaningful youth participation in climate action.

Stay tuned for the next steps, including presenting the outcomes and recommendations from the workshop at the upcoming Summit for the Future in September 2024.