Background
It is a critical time as the next round of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) due in 2025, requires new and more ambitious targets from countries. The Global Stocktake (GST) outcome, agreed upon at COP28, underlined that despite overall progress on mitigation, adaptation and means of implementation and support - Parties are not yet collectively on track towards achieving the purpose of the Paris Agreement and its long-term goals. The GST outcome encouraged Parties to come forward with ambitious, economy-wide emission reduction targets, covering all greenhouse gases, sectors and categories and aligned with the 1.5°C limit in their next round of NDCs.
Most countries in the Caribbean region have prepared and communicated their first and second generation NDCs which have yielded valuable insights on the opportunities and challenges that countries face when developing national climate change targets. In the next round of NDCs, countries continue to be encouraged to take ownership of the process and to apply a whole-of-society approach that involves youth. In this regard, to facilitate meaningful engagement of children and youth in climate action, including in NDCs, a youth climate champion was appointed. As per Decision 16/CP.28, parties decided to institutionalise the role of the Presidency Youth Climate Champion (PYCC) to act on behalf of the COP Presidency with the primary role of enhancing and encouraging the inclusive engagement of children and young people in climate decision-making and policy processes.
Objective
This session aims to create a learning and knowledge exchange space for the youth organizations active in the Caribbean region in order to achieve two main objectives:
- Facilitate youth engagement on NDC related discussions by providing them with the necessary information on the process
- Strengthen the youth message in the region by promoting exchange of experiences among different youth organizations
Summary
The webinar saw attendance of 11 participants from youth organizations active in five Caribbean countries.
During the webinar, RCC Caribbean highlighted the critical role of UN Climate Change and the Regional Climate Centres (RCCs) in providing capacity-building support for youth engagement in the preparation and communication of their next round of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Key themes included the objectives of the Paris Agreement, the ambition cycle, with the outcomes of the Global Stocktake also being explained. The session also explored the NDC process and how Caribbean countries are integrating youth perspectives. Resources were shared on behalf of the UNFCCC Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE) team which outlined elements of inclusive NDC design and important information on youth inclusivity in the NDC processes. This exercise will hopefully ensure that Youth can delve more into these processes and explore avenues that facilitate them to be incorporated into their countries NDC development and implementation processes.
Some key takeaways from the interactive session included:
-
Participants emphasized the importance of training, workshops, and school outreach as essential methods for youth to engage in their countries' NDC processes. The youth also noted that understanding NDCs and climate actions is critical for their effective participation.
-
Many respondents advocated for proactive measures by governing bodies to naturally include youth perspectives in NDC preparation, rather than relying solely on youth to ensure their own engagement.
-
Suggestions for actions made by some of the youth representatives included organizing youth rallies, establishing youth forums, creating informative resources (like videos), and facilitating genuine stakeholder consultations that include youth as decision-makers rather than token representatives.
-
There is a clear call for empowerment programs and opportunities for youth to have a meaningful voice in climate policy discussions, ensuring their perspectives are valued and integrated into decision-making processes.
