The full story was originally published on 3 June 2022 on the Stockholm+50 site
Young, passionate advocates from around the world gathered at the Stockholm+50 international meeting this week to have their say on how to create a more sustainable future.
Issues on the agenda included: sustainable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, unlocking finance for nature, nurturing indigenous knowledge and custodianship of the environment, and the right to a healthy environment.
Around 300 young people participated in the meeting in the Swedish capital, along with several thousand joining online. More than 700 more also played a role in the Stockholm+50 Youth Task Force preparations for the meeting.
See how young people engaged with world and business leaders to spur action for a healthy planet for the prosperity of all:
Youth advocacy for Stockholm+50 began as early as February 2022, on the sidelines of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA 5.2) in Nairobi, where young people organised a dedicated Youth Assembly. At the second session of the youth assembly in Stockholm, participants met with UN Youth Envoy, Jayathma Wickramanayake, to express their views on critical issues affecting younger generations. They called for the mainstreaming of youth engagement in environmental and multilateral processes on the road to the UN Climate Change Conference in Egypt (COP 27).
“Change is coming,” said Wickramanayake. We will continue to fight for our [youth] voices to be heard at the decision-making table.”
UN Secretary-General speaks to youth
UN Secretary-General António Guterres sat down with the Youth Task Force, where Diana Garlytska from Ukraine raised concerns about the thousands of children displaced in her country and the need to ramp up efforts to ensure the right to education.
Mais Jaber Hassan from Syria underlined that young people in countries most affected by the environmental crisis are not adequately represented in international conferences. And Aatika Patel, Fiji, gave an emotional statement on how the homes and people in Fiji are drowning due to the consequences of climate change.
