Empowering Youth for Climate Action: A Call to Leadership and Sustainable Change

Young colleagues, present and future champions of the planet, the future leaders, Dear friends. 

Welcome to this first-ever Youth Forum on the Montreal Protocol and Climate Protection. My great thanks and congratulations to the Children and Youth Major Group to UNEP for organizing this event. And thanks to the distinguished speakers for joining us today.

Last month in New York City, the United Nations held the Summit of the Future. Let us remember, that future is you, the children and youth of today but the leaders of tomorrow, the future. At the Summit, we issued a rallying call for the active, meaningful and inclusive participation of youth in decision-making.

Why? Well, put simply, because you, the youth, will be the ones who will live with all the decisions taken today, for the planet. The implementation of these decisions will be on your shoulders.

Let us look at this region where we are, the Asia-Pacific, we have approximately one billion youth aged between 10-24 years. That’s 60% of the world’s adolescents and young people. This is not a small number to ignore because if these young people were a country, they would be demanding a seat on the Security Council.

Their demographic power would be the reason why they must be heard. But equally, is that young people can bring new ideas, perspectives, and a vital energy to decision-making processes including at multilateral level. They are often unburdened with a sense of how something has “always been done”. They are always more willing to try new innovative approaches. Just as one, Jamie Margolin said, “We have the power to change the narrative. Let’s rewrite the story of our planet and ensure that it’s a tale of resilience, sustainability, and hope”. These words resonate well with you the youth. Change the narrative for the better sustainable future and hope.

And when it comes to the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution, we can all agree that the time for old and dormant ideas which have brought us to the crises we face, can no longer be a solution to the challenges faced and therefore, new, innovative and transformative approaches are needed. 

In this region, Asia, we can see the consequences and impacts of inaction. This is already one of the most vulnerable regions when it comes to climate change, especially from extreme heat, flooding, sea level rise, and extreme weather events.

• The warming trend in Asia in 1991–2022 has almost doubled compared to the 1961–1990 period. 
• Melting glaciers are endangering the water security of 220 million people who live downstream.
• Unpredictable rainfall is affecting food security and livelihoods of millions of people. 
• Temperature rises in India for instance, could decrease rice production by up to 30%. And in Cambodia, where I was just last week, a high-emissions scenario could cut production by 45%. 
• And we are already seeing storms and extreme events wreak havoc on Infrastructure, disrupt supply chains and destroy ecosystems.

All of this disproportionately affects marginalized groups – including the youth. Young people tend to have more precarious income (if any), and little or no financial “buffer zone” to cope with financial shocks.

Part of creating a viable and sustainable future for youth, is leading the way to green jobs transformation. 

Moving towards a circular economy – economy which aims to reduce waste in production and consumption – will change the world of work, boosting employment and enhancing skills. 

A circular economy could have a positive impact on almost 80 million jobs, providing sustainable opportunities to youth in Asia and the Pacific.

The Green Jobs for Youth Pact developed collaboratively by UNEP, ILO and UNICEF aims to strengthen youth employment in those green jobs. Launched in 2022, it works with youth, governments, employers, workers’ organizations and educational institutions to encourage meaningful employment and livelihoods for young people. By 2030, the Pact aims to create one million new green jobs for youth, and support ten thousand young entrepreneurs to establish or grow their own green businesses.

We also need youth voices to be represented in inclusive and non-discriminatory participation in decision-making. Because the way climate change will affect us all is a human rights issue, demanding our collective responsibility to protect the most vulnerable populations.

In July this year, the UN Secretary-General issued a Call To Action on Extreme Heat. He singled out cooling as an example of inequality. Many of the world’s most vulnerable people have limited or no access to modern cooling technologies – such as air conditioners and refrigerators – whether at home, or at school or at the workplace. Cooling is increasingly seen as a critical infrastructure service like water or power. And universal access to sustainable cooling is one of the commitments promoted through the Montreal Protocol on the Depletion of the Ozone Layer.

The Montreal Protocol, nearing almost 40 years old, is no longer a youthful agreement. It has matured. But it still retains power and relevance in the world today. Power, through its living example of an international agreement that transform words into action. 

When the world decided to ban and phase out harmful chemicals which deplete the ozone layer, it created the space for the atmosphere to begin to recover. And relevance, because the Montreal Protocol has a role to play in fighting a different, but related threat, namely, climate change.

The Protocol and its financial mechanism, the Multilateral Fund, has contributed and continues to contribute to greenhouse gas reductions through countries’ successful phase-out of entire families of refrigerants and industrial gases. 

And actions under the Kigali Amendment could help avoid up to 0.5°C of warming by the end of this century. That Kigali Amendment, by the way, is relatively youthful: it was born in 2016. At this COP and COP/MOP, we are pushing for the final 30 or so countries to ratify or accede the agreement before its 10th birthday. 

So, if you are from among the 30 countries, it is imperative that you urge your Governments to ratify or accede to the Kigali Amendment so as to contribute to further avoidance of warming climate. Let us see how we can count on the youth here to make a difference by ensuring by its decade anniversary we celebrate universal membership. Together, we will ensure we increase the numbers.

Friends:

The recognition of youth is growing on the global agenda. At the recent UN General Assembly, this September, an astonishing 168 of the 193 speeches by world leaders, mentioned “Youth” or “Future Generations”. We must ensure that this is not just lip service. We can do so, by amplifying the voices of youth through forums such as this.

I know that you will all bring the needed energy, excitement and urgency of youth to your discussions over the coming sessions. The participation and engagement of young people is vital to demanding change, and to shape the world you want. 

So be hopeful, be ambitious, innovative and above all, be demanding to be heard, to be listened and to be part of the decision-making processes. Do not let us, the older generation, tell you it can’t be done. It is your future, and it is up to you to take control of that future. Even one Helena Gualinga once said, “The future is in our (your) hands. Let’s (the youth) come together, raise our (your) voices, and demand the sustainable and just world we (you) deserve.”

Thank you.