Young people worldwide are today celebrating the first World Youth Skills Day (WYSD). The United Nations General Assembly designated the international day in order to raise awareness about the importance of investing in youth skills development.
WYSD celebrations coincide with a crucial year in which the world will set the agenda for decades to come - by concluding a new universal climate agreement in December in Paris and with the adoption of new Sustainable Development Goals in September in New York. Fittingly, this year’s theme is “Youth skills for work and life in the post-2015 agenda”.
To mark the day and to promote dialogue among youth leaders, the UN will host several events. One of them will take place at the UN headquarters in Bonn, Germany, organized by UNESCO-UNEVOC and moderated by the spokesperson of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Nick Nuttall.
Learn more about the event in Bonn.
You can join the celebration for the first-ever World Youth Skills Day sharing your experiences and ideas using the hashtag #WYSD or #WYSD2015 on social media.
Why Youth Are Central to Climate Action
Climate change is both an enormous challenge and an incredible opportunity for young people. If greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise and climate change impacts continue to worsen, future generations will be forced to shoulder the biggest share of the burden.
Empowering major groups like young people to take climate action is one of the mandates agreed by governments meeting under the umbrella of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Action for Climate Empowerment is the focus of so-called "Article 6" of the Convention that seeks to reduce the impacts of climate change by enabling society to be a part of the solution.
In a recent message to the Youth Summit Plant for the Planet, UNFCCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres said:
Securing a promising future for you and for generations to come will require action by every individual - to move the world as a whole towards the future we want. We all have our own path to walk and each of us, each of you, have the power to be an agent of change. So choose the climate change solution that is right for you in your community, in your situation.
To learn more about youth and climate change, visit the UNFCCC Youth Portal.
Light, Camera, Paris
If you are involved in climate action, we invite you to share your experiences in the Global Youth Video Competition on Climate Change. Two winners will earn a trip to the UN Climate Change Conference in the French capital in December (COP21), where they will join the UNFCCC communications team as videographers and reporters. The competition is open to young people between the ages of 18 and 30. Videos must be submitted by 17 August 2015.