Montenegro signs the Declaration on Children, Youth and Climate Action

PODGORICA, Montenegro, 19 APRIL 2024 – In response to the growing impact of the climate crisis and its unique impact on children, the Government of Montenegro has joined more than 40 countries globally in signing the Declaration on Children, Youth and Climate Action during an event in Podgorica today.

“We are aware of the risk that children will suffer the most from the consequences of climate change and, for this reason, their voice has to be heard. Only together can we develop solutions to cope with the challenges arising from climate change. The signing of the Declaration on Children, Youth and Climate Action shows that we are taking this issue seriously and that the Government of Montenegro is undertaking steps to find the best solutions for the problems that we face. In cooperation with UNICEF in Montenegro, we will work on developing action plans for implementing the measures from this declaration,” said Dragoslav Šćekić, Deputy Prime Minister of Montenegro and President of the Council on Child Rights, after signing the declaration on behalf of the Government of Montenegro.

During the ceremony, young people from Montenegro shared their concerns about the climate crisis and their proposals for urgent action, including policies that the national and local authorities could adopt.

“Most older people do not sense the urgency that young people do about global warming. People seem to think this is an issue that can be solved some other time, but there is no other time. And young people’s voices are important because young people are the ones that are going to have to solve most of these issues,” said 18-year-old Lejla Srdanović.

Her friend, 17-year-old Emir Alković, explained that “though we, young people, are not responsible for climate change, it will have a greater impact on us. Therefore, we would like to see more education in schools about sustainability. We need to save water, to preserve the forests. We need the forests to preserve the air. And we need everyone to play their part to save the planet.”

“In signing the Declaration, Montenegro has committed to work with children and young people to identify and take actions that provide future generations with a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with the government, to support them in operationalizing the declaration to achieve real results for children,” said Reginia De Dominicis, UNICEF’s Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia, in her remarks at the event.

“Humankind is at war with nature; the activities of our ‘civilization’ are undoubtedly a crime against young people and life on Earth. The most important and urgent task in the history of humanity is a rapid transition (in less than 25 years, probably less than 20 years) from the current unsustainable society to a society organized in a sustainable way. In my opinion the only solution is to improve and ennoble the existing democratic system based on the legislative, executive and judicial powers by introducing a fourth power, the power of science (or the power of knowledge),” Prof. Dragan Hajdukovic, PhD, said at the signing of the declaration today.

The declaration is a first-of-its-kind commitment to accelerate inclusive, child- and youth-centred climate policies and action at national and global levels. As one of the custodians of the declaration, UNICEF is working with governments, including Montenegro’s, to support its adoption and implementation. All member states of the United Nations are invited to sign it.

Montenegro joins the governments of Albania, Armenia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Hungary, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Sweden, Slovenia and Spain in adopting the declaration.

To support implementation of the declaration, UNICEF is working with governments and partners to adapt and strengthen the existing systems that children rely on – including education, social protection and health care – to ensure that the services can withstand and respond to the effects of climate change and mitigate the risks.