Group launches youth manifesto on climate crisis in Nigeria
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The manifesto communicates a call to action from Nigerian youth to the government on key socioeconomic and environmental issues that need urgent attention in the country.
Surge Africa, an Abuja-based climate resilient advocacy firm, has announced the official launch of its Youth Manifesto on Climate Change. The manifesto communicates a call to action from Nigerian youth to the government on key socioeconomic and environmental issues that need urgent attention in the country.
The manifesto, launched last week Saturday, a few days after the conclusion of 28th edition of the UN Conference of the the Parties (COP28), highlighted a list of demands for key sectors. It outlines health, water, agriculture, urban sustainability, energy access, climate finance, waste management, and transportation as fundamental areas of action for the government to effectively address.
According to the organisers, the launch created a platform for meaningful engagement between state and non-state actors and the adoption of the Youth Manifesto on Climate Change by relevant individuals within the climate space.
“The manifesto comes at a time when there are strong expectations from the government to mobilise political action needed to position our societies and economies towards a low-carbon resilient development,” said Nasreen Al-Amin, founder, Surge Africa.
She described the newly launched manifesto on Climate Change as a governance call to action, noting that its demands provided action points for governments at all levels that are crucial to addressing the multi-dimensional effect of climate change.
To scale these demands, Ms Al-Amin said they centred the youth demography as a critical population to accelerate climate action, through their inclusive participation in decision-making platforms.
This, she said, can be achieved by creating avenues for public engagement and strategic collaboration with youth and youth entities where they can meaningfully contribute to climate governance in Nigeria.
Youth inclusion at climate negotiation
At the just-concluded COP28 climate summit in Dubai, 8 December was tagged as “Youth, Children, Education, and Skills Day”.
Throughout the day at COP28, events organised were used to advance conversations on how to empower children and youth to shape the outcomes of COP28 and beyond and provide them with clear, defined, and accessible opportunities to be a leading part of the solutions proposed at every level.
“Children and youth are facing disproportionate climate risks as the generation who will inherit the planet, despite not being responsible for contributing to climate change,” the COP28 organisers said.
At COP28, there was a designated Pavilion for children and youth.
The Pavillion was managed by young climate advocates and activists throughout the summit. They organised several side events and hosted experts to share tips on how young people can help accelerate climate actions all over the world without leaving anyone behind.
The event of the new Manifesto on Climate Change launched by Surge Africa is perceived as an avenue to further advocate youth inclusion at the climate negotiation table so that their voices and solutions can be heard, felt and put to good use by policymakers across the three tiers of government in Nigeria and beyond.
Notable endorsement
According to the organisers, some of the notable endorsement of the Youth Manifesto on Climate Change comes from the Sokoto State Ministry of Environment, the Zamfara Ministry of Environment, Mines and Solid Ministry Development, the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), and the Nigerian Youth Parliament.
According to the group, the primary aim of the manifesto is to create a lifeline of implementation that seeks to streamline the demands of young people regarding climate change into a highly prioritised national climate action for implementation.
“The Youth Climate Collective emerges as a dynamic platform, promoting actionable steps for a sustainable future from a youth perspective. This initiative stems from the collective determination of Nigeria’s vibrant youth to address the climate crisis and its profound impact on our nation’s prosperity,” Surge Africa said.
With Nigeria boasting one of the world’s largest youth populations, and the demography that will be most impacted by climate change, the group said the Youth Climate Collective serves as a rallying point, advocating urgent and robust political interventions to address the existential climate crisis in the country.
“Our vision is to build a network of young changemakers leading the charge on Climate Governance and Diplomacy across Nigeria and beyond the African continent,” Surge Africa said.
The newly launched Youth Manifesto on Climate Change can be downloaded here to learn more about the Youth Climate Collective initiative.