Recording

Organizers

This event was hosted by The Climate Reality Project - América Latina, Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources of the Dominican Republic, Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the United States of Mexico, Youth Negotiators Academy

Background

In recent years, the undeniable impacts of climate change have created unprecedented challenges globally. Particularly affected are the youth and marginalized communities in Latin America and the Caribbean, whose well-being is intricately linked to the region's unique natural resources. Acknowledging the urgency to address climate-related issues and ensure inclusive decision-making, our event serves as a vital platform for meaningful dialogue and actionable strategies, focusing on empowering individuals through targeted capacity-building.
This session underscored the pivotal role of youth and vulnerable populations in fostering resilient societies, emphasizing tailored capacity-building initiatives. Through insights from successful programs in Latin America and the Caribbean, our event aimed to illuminate effective learning models, challenges faced, and lessons learned in involving these communities in climate decision-making and diplomatic negotiations. The session provided participants with valuable insights into inclusive and participatory processes, inspiring strategic outcomes to tackle the distinctive challenges faced by youth and vulnerable communities amidst a changing climate, ultimately leading to more resilient and adaptive policies.

Objectives

General objective

• Promoted and highlighted the "Operación COP, Juventudes Embajadoras por el Clima" and the Harvard Negotiation Training programs as youth-focused capacity-building initiatives. The event aimed to showcase the long-term benefits of the program in enhancing youth engagement and expertise in climate action, contributing to sustainable environmental, social, and economic impacts.

Specific objectives

• Increased awareness on the importance of building capacities for youth to promote ambitious climate action;
• Showcased the outcomes, achievements and success stories of the “Operación COP, Juventudes Embajadoras por el Clima” and the Harvard Negotiation Training program within Latin America and the Caribbean;
• Encouraged multiple stakeholders to support young people in decision-making processes at a multilevel scale;
• Demonstrated how youth capacity-building leads to more ambitious climate actions, especially in multilateral climate negotiations;
• Fostered partnerships and collaborations between youth, academia, policymakers, and other Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) to promote youth-capacity building in the region.

Structure

Speakers

• Natalia Lever (Director of The Climate Reality Project - LATAM)
• Marie-Claire Graf (Co-Founder of the Youth Negotiators Academy and the Climate Youth Negotiators Program)
• Eusebio Castro (Lead Negotiator of the Dominican Republic in Just Transition, International Youth Climate Delegate before the Presidency of COP28, Alumni from Operation COP 2022 program and Harvard Negotiation Program)
• María Laura Martínez (Lead Negotiator of the Dominican Republic in the Technology Transfer Mechanism, Alumni from Operation COP 2022 program and Harvard Negotiation program)
• Antonio Díaz Aranda (Advisor of Mexico under the Article 6 of Mexico, Alumni from Operation COP program 2022 and Harvard Negotiation Program)
• Valeria Horton (Advisor for the Mexican Delegation on Loss and Damages, Alumni from Operation COP program 2022 and Harvard Negotiation Program)

Key outcomes

• Operation COP and Youth Negotiators Academy programs empower youth and vulnerable communities to participate effectively in climate decision-making processes through rights-based capacity-building.   
• Negotiations process must build intergenerational equity and relationships  
• It is crucial to the negotiations process and youth negotiators empowerment process to use a rights-based capacity-building approach with youth representation “nothing about us without us” to “build the future we need and deserve”