Young people ready to join global climate conference

Skopje, 27 September 2021:  This week during 28-30 September, Italy – co-chairing with United Kingdom the COP 26 - will host a “Youth4Climate – Driving Ambition” event in Milan gathering 400 young people from all countries in the World. Two youth delegates - Angela Busheska and Naser Veliu - have been selected and will represent North Macedonia.

“The ‘Youth4Climate: Driving Ambition’ meeting in Milan is part of the process of involvement of young people, which started in 2019, with the support of Italy. It is a chance for young people to propose ideas and concrete actions to address climate change,” said H.E., Andrea Silvestri, Italian Ambassador in North Macedonia. “Nowadays, climate stability is a global common good, and preserving it implies the responsibility of all: Governments, firms, people” he commented. “It is not only a matter of obligations, investments and new technologies. A great cultural leap is needed, and that’s why young generations are so important. Because tomorrow’s World is their World“.

“The climate crisis is a child rights crisis. It poses an unprecedented threat to the health, nutrition, education, development, survival, and future potential of all children. It is also a critical issue among the young. In every consultation we have had with young people in this country climate and environment, along with quality education and quality of life matters most to them,” said Patrizia DiGiovanni, UNICEF Representative. “Young people are not just demanding action – they are acting themselves. We have a duty to create the space for their voice to be heard and engage them in driving the solutions.” 

The youth event in Milan will precede the 26^th UN Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP26) in Glasgow. The first two days will be dedicated to the development of a global declaration, while the last day will feature a discussion on the declaration between the youth delegates and Ministers attending Pre-COP26, that will take place in Milan from 30 September to 2 October, allowing young people to have their voices heard by the political level.

“In preparation for Milan we have used different tools like U-Report to gather views and have learned that young people in our country are eager to take climate action and have their voice heard locally and globally. Together with UNICEF we facilitated a process for young people from across the country to share their views and contribute to a draft text of the “Youth Climate Declaration”, said Angela Busheska, Youth Delegate from North Macedonia. “The declaration includes four key themes: national and local policy makers, sustainable recovery, innovation and fashion, and a climate-conscious society. We are going to take these views to Milan so that the voice of young people from our country can influence the global decisions of the Climate Change Summit (COP) in Glasgow.”

The findings from the ‘Reimagine the Future’ Youth Consultations, implemented by UNICEF and the Office of the President Pendarovski were also reflected in the process of gathering inputs from young people in the preparations for the event in Milan. Climate change, including protection of the environment, pollution and urban planning, are among the biggest concerns of young people in the country, together with education and mental health. 

After the “Youth4Climate – Driving ambition” in Milan and ahead of the COP26 in Glasgow, UNICEF in North Macedonia together with the Italian, Swedish and British Embassies will be supporting a youth led national “Youth Climate Summit” in Skopje to engage youth in follow up to further develop the youth climate declaration and dialogue with national officials.