CLIMATE JUSTICE - Youth network wraps up regional climate justice festivals
Youth campaigns mobilize, engage, inspire and empower children as advocates to take action on climate change as well as amplify their voices to demand urgent and ambitious climate actions
MZUZU, Malawi (Planet Defence) - The National Youth Network on Climate Change (NYNCC) an advocacy and lobbying institution for young people has completed conducting a series of regional climate justice youth festivals targeting youth leaders, children, students and journalists with the northern region as it final area of the modus operandi.
Since 2022, NYNCC in partnership with Civil Society Network on Climate Change (CISONECC), Jesuit Centre for Ecology and Development (JCED) and other partners have been running the Malawi Youth Climate Action Campaign (My Climate My Action Campaign).
The rationale is that these regional climate justice youth festivals will contribute towards capacity building and evidence generating to influence decision making processes, effective communication. They will further call for transparency and accountability on unfulfilled pledges such as the $100billion dollar pledge by the developed nations. The event is also important as it raises awareness and deliberate on loss and damage demands among the young people.
The overall goal of the campaign is to mobilize, engage, inspire and empower children and youth as advocates to take action on climate change as well as amplify their voices to demand urgent and ambitious climate action and step up for climate justice efforts beyond United Nations Conference of Parties (COP).
Ahead of COP28, the network in partnership with CISONECC, Save the Children International, JCED and World Vision will also coordinate mobilize, inspire, empower and also amplify children and youth voices as part of stimulating and building momentum towards COP28.
This the various non state actors plan to execute through dialogues, evidenced based advocacy and engagement, storytelling, art and petitioning. COP28 is slated to take place in United Arable Emirates (UAE) from 30th November through 12 December 2023.
“The festival provide a platform for children and youth to amplify their voices on effects of climate change, disasters such as cyclones on their lives. These climate justice festivals targetted 600 university students, children and some selected youth leaders in the districts as direct beneficiaries. In the northern region, the event took place on 04th November, 2023 at Mzuzu University and students from University of Livingstinia, Laws Campus in Ekwendeni also participated during the event,” Dominic Nyasulu, NYNCC Coordinator share the details in a conversation with Planet Defence.
Diana Phiri one of the students participants who took part in the climate justice youth festival in Mzuzu acknowledged the importance of taking care of the environment to address challenges brought about by climate change.
“This efforts in climate justice prevent the occurence of natural disasters such as floods. A typical example is the case of cyclone Freddy which caused devastation earlier this year in March when floods destroyed infrastructure facilities and led to loss of lives of people,” Phiri explained.
The activities are also important as they provide a platform for children and youths to amplify their voices and further raise awareness on the effects of climate change and key demands ahead of COP28.
The youth festivals aims at stimulating and building momentum towards COP 28. They are supported by Concern World Wide and Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) through Save the Children International Malawi Country Office.