Children's voices heard at UN climate change talks in Bonn
Bonn, 12 June 2008. Children in a Changing Climate (CCC) was successfully launched at the United Nations' latest climate change talks in Bonn, Germany. The programme's primary goal is to promote children's voice and participation in climate change issues, within their own communities right through to global negotiations, to ensure a world fit for them and future generations.
Members of the programme's secretariat (including representatives from Plan International, National Children's Bureau, Institute for Development Studies and Save the Children) and a child delegate were in Bonn last month to present the programmes aims, as well as children's views and recommendations (from UK, Sierra Leone, Philippines and El Salvador). The session attracted an audience of key stakeholders, including members of the UN Secretariat, national delegates and interested non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
Sixteen-year-old Leon Ward, a climate change representative of Plan UK's children's advisory panel, kick-started the launch by sharing an update from Eni, a CCC child delegate from Indonesia, who attended last year's Bali climate change talks. In her testimony, she explained that, after being given a chance to voice her views at Bali she is actively involved in raising awareness about climate change as well as undertaking a tree-planting initiative in her community.
Leon highlighted the positive role that children play both in informing other children and older generations about climate change, and, if given the chance, the creative contribution they can offer to adaptation policies and practice. "Governments must start working together even more. They must also make room for us to voice our opinions and truly influence decisions that will affect our future," he concluded.
A short film from Sierra Leone showed children responding to questions from British youngsters about the impacts on climate change on their lives. This included the hunger due to poor rice harvests and severe disruption to their education when poorly maintained roads flood. Their proposed solutions included school sensitisation programmes on climate change, and the lobbying of national governments to implement controls on deforestation.
Another short film gave a broad overview of the roles that children can play in climate change adaptation, drawing on field experiences from El Salvador and the Philippines. The event concluded with a lively discussion about how to advance this agenda of children's participation in climate change policy processes.
Successful outcomes
The UNFCCC recognises that youth and children are different with different needs to adults in the negotiating process - as a result, a resolution to introduce an article in the climate change convention, compelling countries to include a child in their delegations, is to be considered at the next climate change talks at Poznan.
There are other like-minded organisations pursuing similar goals when it comes to enabling children to influence decision-making on climate change issues.
Plan's Nick Hall summed up: "The launch was a valuable way of raising awareness of the programme and the issues it is addressing. Being present at Bonn sent a message that the programme is serious about influencing climate change policy and that children have the ability to play a significant role."
Next Steps: the Road to Copenhagen
CCC is now focusing on child-led policy-oriented action and engagement in the run up to the next climate change talks in Poznan, and beyond to the critical talks in Copenhagen in 2009.
CCC is supporting children from a selection of priority countries to begin a process of learning, consultation and action around climate change issues. They will share ideas with children within their country and those from other key countries, as well as with technical experts, and national delegates, in order to make informed policy recommendations.
Two children from each of the countries involved will attend the talks in Poznan and Copenhagen and draw on this learning experience to target key decision-makers. Selection of child delegates will be through child-led by activities such as multi-stakeholder training workshops, web-based discussions and video-conference calls between children.
CCC priority countries include the United Kingdom, Sweden, Denmark, United States, India, China, South Africa, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Bangladesh.
