Young people from the south seek to influence COP23
Climate negotiations continue in Bonn, Germany, and it is crucial that Global South’s participation becomes more equal for two reasons.
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On the one hand, the Global South include the most vulnerable areas of the world and is already facing the consequences of climate change. And on the other hand, people from the Global South often lack of the means to be represented in these spaces to build a common work agenda with other young people.
Therefore, YOUNGO, the group that is formed to represent young people in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), launched this year the “Global South Scholarships” (GSS) with the support of the German Government.
More than 3,300 applications were received, from approximately 140 countries. Only 30 young people were selected with the objective of reflecting diverse realities and voices of the youth in both the COY and the COP.
Timothy Damon, one of the people in charge of the GSS, mentioned that “is not enough to bring young people to the COP, but it is also necessary to create capacities on what is YOUNGO and the UNFCCC, that’s why we held several sessions of online training “.
Some important points of this initiative:
In 2015, 20 people were granted with scholarships.
In 2017, 30 people were granted with scholarships.
It is planned to keep the number for next year and ensure the presence of delegates in the inter-sessional meetings to follow up on the issue.
Adriana Valenzuela, the Focal Point for youth and education in the UNFCCC Secretariat, mentioned that “young people who have been granted and have this opportunity, now have the responsibility to spread climate action and involve other actors in their countries”.
