“Our Voice Matters”: Young Iraqis Speak Up for Climate Action

BAGHDAD, Iraq — In a bright room filled with ideas, questions and hope, young Iraqis came together to talk about one of the biggest challenges facing their generation: climate change. They spoke about hotter summers, less water, pollution, fewer green spaces, and how these changes are affecting families and communities. Their message was clear: young people are not only affected by climate change. 

They want to help lead the solutions. From hotter summers and shrinking water resources to pollution and the loss of green spaces, climate change is already shaping the lives of children and young people in Iraq.

Across the two-day consultation and co-creation process, more than 30 young people and representatives from government and the private sector came together to identify priorities for Green Rising in Iraq. Discussions focused on the climate pressures affecting communities, including drought, desertification, pollution and limited access to safe green spaces, and on practical pathways for young people to build green skills, lead climate solutions and contribute to a more resilient future.

The Green Rising Youth Consultation, held in Baghdad, was part of a broader co-creation process to shape Green Rising in Iraq, bringing young people’s priorities into the programme's design and future interventions. Green Rising, launched by UNICEF and Generation Unlimited, supports young people worldwide in taking climate action, learning green skills, and helping strengthen their communities.

For young people in Iraq, the issue is urgent. Climate pressures are already shaping daily life, from extreme heat and water shortages to pollution and the loss of safe spaces to play, learn and gather.

For Basmalh Qasim Salih, 21 in Baghdad, climate action is personal as she shares her hope for a safer, healthier future for children in Iraq. She worries about what today’s environmental challenges could mean for future children.

“We live in a country suffering from desertification, drought, pollution and extremely high temperatures,” she said. “I want my children to grow up in a safer, healthier and less polluted environment.”

At the consultation, Basmalh said young people felt heard. Her message to leaders was direct: “Please be the second hand that claps with us, because one hand alone is not enough to create great and sustainable change in Iraq.”

Tabarak Nihad, 23, from Duhok joined the consultation because she believes young people should help shape solutions to Iraq’s climate challenges. She spoke about water shortages, pollution, the lack of green spaces and the need for young people to learn skills that can help them protect the environment.

“Young people are aware of these challenges,” Tabarak said, “but they often lack the resources, training and support needed to take meaningful action.”

For Tabarak, Green Rising can help young people turn concern into action, from planting trees and improving waste management to saving water, using renewable energy and starting small green businesses. “Listen to young people, trust their ideas, and give them the tools to turn those ideas into action.” she said.

Maryam Naeem Khudada, a 17-year-old student at Al-Batool High School in Baghdad, came to the consultation because she wants young people to do more than take part in awareness activities. Interested in technology and innovation, she sees climate action as connected to education, jobs, health and the future of Iraq’s youth.

“We were not simply attending a consultation,” Maryam said. “We were contributing to the conversation about what Green Rising in Iraq could look like.”

Maryam believes young people can help move climate action from talk to practical change — by learning green skills, leading local projects, using technology to solve problems and taking part in decisions that affect their lives.

A voice from the Marshes

Muntadher Abd Ali Al-Asadi, 21, from the Iraqi city of Al-Chibayish, brought the voice of the Iraqi Marshes to the consultation. In his community, climate change is not a distant issue. Water shortages, drought, pollution and the loss of nature are affecting people’s lives, livelihoods and traditions.

“Green Rising is an opportunity to show that young people from vulnerable communities are not only victims of climate change.” he said. “We can also be leaders, innovators and part of the solution.”

For Muntadher, protecting the environment must go hand in hand with creating opportunities for young people. He called for youth-led action to save water, protect nature, manage waste, support eco-tourism, promote sustainable farming and restore natural areas.

“My message is simple: Do not speak about young people without giving young people a seat at the table,” he said. “We want to be trusted as partners and leaders.”

From climate concern to climate policy

Shams Mohammed, 25, from Babil, believes young people should not only be invited to events. They should also help shape the decisions and policies that affect their future.

“Young people should have an active role in policy development and decision-making, sitting at the table alongside policymakers.” Shams said. “We are directly affected by today’s decisions, and our voices should help shape the policies that will determine our future.”

Across the consultation, young people called for practical support: more green spaces, better waste management, stronger water conservation, renewable energy, green skills, support for youth-led ideas and a real say in decisions that affect their future.

For UNICEF, the co-creation process is intended to connect youth priorities with national systems and partnerships, bringing together government, the private sector and young people around three areas: green skills and pathways to employment, youth-led climate innovation and solutions, and meaningful youth participation in climate policy and decision-making.

“Green Rising in Iraq is not a one-off consultation. It is about helping young people gain green skills, access new opportunities, lead climate solutions in their communities, and have a real say in decisions that shape their future.” said Israa Al-Juboori, Youth and Adolescent Development Manager at UNICEF Iraq. “The priorities young people shared will help shape Green Rising in Iraq, working with government, the private sector and youth networks to turn their ideas into action.”

As one young participant said: “Listen to young people and give them the tools and opportunities to turn their ideas into real action.”

When young people are truly heard and supported, their hopes can become solutions, helping protect not only the Iraq they live in today, but the safer, greener future every child deserves.