It’s no secret that a key characteristic of the climate crisis is that it bears inter-generational consequences. Truly just and sustainable climate action actively involves all age groups. This is part of the drive behind this year’s Climate Youth Negotiator Programme Fundamental Training that kicked off last week on 4th and 5th July 2023.
The training programme is a collaboration between the Future Leaders Network and UN CC:Learn that aims to equip youth negotiators with the knowledge and skills to navigate the often-complex multilateral climate negotiations. The introductory session featured around 100 youth negotiators from all over the world getting to know their counterparts in the programme and sharing their expectations in a dynamic 3-hour session.
The highlight of the session were powerful keynote speeches from seasoned experts including Prof. Marie-Claire Cordonier Segger, world-leading scholar and jurist in the field of sustainable development law and governance, among others. The common theme – that the structural barriers that prevent youth from engaging in this space need to be removed and harnessing and fine-tuning soft skills like active listening, building connections with fellow negotiators among others are building blocks of a successful negotiator.
This year’s Cohort also got the opportunity to listen to youth negotiators from the 2022 pilot phase. It was an engaging session where practical tips on ‘how to survive in the day of a negotiator’, challenges and lessons learned were shared. A truly uplifting session that inspired the negotiators starting off their journey in the programme.
The programme now commences on a six-month long journey, culminating at COP28 in December, with the end-game in mind of empowering young people as agents of positive change and driving transformation in the climate negotiations for our collective futures.