Ayisha Siddiqa: “Young people aren’t just a quota to fulfil”
UN News spoke with Ayisha Siddiqa, a member of the Secretary-General’s Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change, about how her background and how it informs her work, recognizing young people as key climate stakeholders, and why poetry “can be a mechanism of quiet protest” in the face of the climate emergency.
Saoirse Exton: the Irish teenager shaping UN climate policy
To celebrate World Environment Day (and her 18th birthday!), the UN office for Western Europe spoke with Saoirse Exton, a member of the Secretary-General’s Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change, about her activism, the power of youth voices and the importance of native languages in the climate movement.
UN Secretary-General’s New Youth Advisory Group
The Secretary-General announced the seven young leaders who will form his next Youth Advisory Group. Its members will be working side-by-side with young climate activists and experts around the world to bring youth perspectives into decision-making processes.
Young people’s message to leaders at COP27
At COP27, two youth activists Elizabeth Wathuti and Archana Soreng and the winner of the #MyClimateAction contest Ewi Stephanie Lamma demanded urgent action from world leaders amid the worsening climate crisis.
Japanese youth, media and the UN team up for climate action
Led by a group of young Japanese people, the Media is Hope initiative promotes social change for climate action by monitoring media coverage, disseminating factual climate information, and building bridges with media. Learn more about their work and how they support the UN here.
Voices of Change: Climate activists
Climate activists around the world are relentlessly pursuing global solidarity and transformational change with a clear and urgent message: act now to protect people and save our planet from the worst impacts of the climate crisis. Meet some of our voices of change.
UN Climate Change Conference of Youth
In the Arab States, 60 per cent of the population is under the age of 30. With climate change being an increasing threat, more and more young people are taking up the mantle of climate leadership. Meet five young leaders from the region that give us hope in the fight against the climate crisis.
SDG Youth Climate Roundtable
Marking this year’s World Environment Day, the Deputy-Secretary-General hosted a climate change roundtable on how young people are advancing solutions and demanding action from leaders to achieve a sustainable, low-carbon future.
Climate Action in the Shadow of War
"The war is affecting the sustainable development of every single country in our region” - in the latest episode of Awake at Night, Vladislav Kaim, the UN Secretary-General’s youth advisor on climate change, discusses the impacts of the war in Ukraine on climate action.
#YOUTH4CLIMATE: A moment & a movement
For the first time in the history of UN climate negotiations, the ideas and voices of young people were at the forefront of a Pre-COP summit. The event saw the adoption of the Youth4Climate Manifesto just before world leaders arrived in Glasgow for COP26.
UN Climate Change Conference of Youth
In 2021, Conference of Youth (COY) was in its 16th year and is dubbed as the largest and longest running youth climate event to date; gathering thousands of young changemakers from more than 140 countries. Learn more about the event and read the Global Youth Statement here.
Moroccan youth’s commitment to climate action
From environment conservation to clean energy production and to youth mobilization, young Moroccan activists and entrepreneurs show their commitment to tackling the climate crisis through their actions.
Deputy Secretary-General's Virtual Youth Dialogue on Climate
Youth leaders met with the UN Deputy Chief to push for action on climate finance and adaptation. Tune in to see what they had to say about accelerating solutions to the greatest challenge facing our world today.
Loving nature as we love ourselves
Climate activist and youth advisor to the UN Secretary-General Archana Soreng takes inspiration from her grandfathe and her father in her call for upholding the rights of indigenous peoples, and restoring the world’s relationship with nature. Read her remarks to the US Leadership Summit on Climate.
Sport for Sustainability and Climate Action
At the “SDG Zone at Tokyo”, leaders of climate action and sustainability from different specialties - sport, space, and indigenous communities – share the urgency to tackle the climate emergency.
Perspective: Make a deal on debt and for green jobs
Absent an urgent, coordinated international intervention on heavy debt burdens, many countries may “default” on national climate action plans. Youth Advisory Group member Vlad Kaim argues that debt swaps can unleash resources for climate as well as green jobs for young people.
Young people saving the planet
Hundreds of young people from around the world gathered at the Virtual Youth Forum to explore the most pressing environmental issues facing the planet, including climate change and pollution.
“I just want to do things without thinking the world is ending”
Meet Paloma Costa. This Brazilian climate activist, lawyer, and member of the UN Secretary-General’s Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change is gently shaking the world with her passion for climate justice.
Young people are the solution
That was the message youth activist Nisreen Elsaim delivered to a recent high-level session of the UN Security Council on climate change. Describing how climate vulnerability feeds conflict, she welcomed a new political mission in her country, Sudan, that prioritizes climate change and youth participation.
To the Secretary-General: youth press for climate priorities
The seven members of the global Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change met with Secretary-General António Guterres for a spirited discussion on climate action priorities for 2021.
Forests, Food and Farming: how to beat the climate crisis
Imagine a world where food production makes us healthier without making the climate crisis worse. Paloma Costa, a member of the UN Secretary-General’s Youth Advisory Group, argues we can achieve this if we make the right choices and follow the Paris Climate Agreement.
See Within Our Grasp for more videos in this series.