Government called upon to Collaborate with Youth to Implement Climate Actions

Participating youth in the Workshop

An on-ground consultation workshop on youth and climate change adaptation has been held among selected young people and youth organisations working on climate adaptation in Ghana last Wednesday 27 February 2019 at CSIR-STEPRI, Accra.

The one-day consultation was in support of Adapt for Our Future Project being implemented by YOUNGO - the Children and Youth Constituency to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The project seeks to outline youth climate adaptation actions, challenges young people face and how these challenges are overcome. The outcome is expected to feed into the Global Commission on Adaptation (GCA) Flagship report on Adaptation to be presented at the side-lines of the upcoming UN Climate Summit in September 2019.

The consultation in Ghana gathered inputs, past experiences, and learned lessons from the participating youth brought together from research institutions, private sector, local governments and civil society organisations, working on climate adaptation at the local, national and international levels.

The consultation also had experts from climate change negotiators, private sector and the National Disaster Management Organisation who shared their experiences and engagement in climate adaptation and their involvement of youth in that regard.

Speaking at the workshop, the Principal Programme Officer from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) who is also a climate change negotiator, Dr. Antwi-Boasiako Amoah provided the youth with insight into climate change from the global perspective to government of Ghana’s adaptation measures to dealing with the impacts of climate change.

Dr. Amoah revealed that climate change adaptation and development is sometimes difficult to distinguish but indicated that climate change is not abstract and that “it is about survival… something that is telling on our living every now and then, practically every day” the reason why it required collective effort in dealing with it. Dr. Amoah also noted the absence of a policy framework on engagement of youth in climate change processes, decision making and intervention as a hindrance to effective engagement of youth in climate actions.  “The future of the country is compromised if programmes do not serve youth and youth are not involved,” he warned.

The Head of Climate Change Department, National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Madam Charlotte Norman also shared the work of NADMO in dealing with the impact of climate change - like flooding, as well the organisation’s involvement of the “youth in research and innovation at the early stages” to support Ghana in its preparedness to ensure a climate resilient and climate compatible environment. She expressed her appreciation for the organisation of the workshop and asked that such collaborative workshops are often held for the youth to place themselves in identifying their roles, and opportunities for an enhanced engagement in the country’s climate change agenda.

Mr. Thomas Kankam, from Private Enterprise Federation (PEF), the umbrella body of all private sector operatives in Ghana, also presented the business case for climate change and indicated that although profit-making has been the primary objective of businesses, the private sector is gradually coming to terms with the need to prioritize environmental sustainability as businesses are not done in vacuum. He then assured the youth of their willingness to further engage them to transform ideas into action and create opportunities for future plans and programmes.

The consultation ignited passion among the youth, and promoted active thinking on how to initiate, sustain, and enhance local adaptation measures. Participants called on government to collaborate with youth and youth-led organisations to implement its Climate Change Learning Strategy, including integration of climate change into the educational curriculum.

The EPA, the national climate change focal institution was also called upon to coordinate climate actions of youth, and lead policy processes together with other relevant sector institutions such as the National Youth Authority to institutionalize engagement of youth in climate action as a requirement.

The consultation was organised by HATOF Foundation, Agorvie Youth for Sustainable Development (AY4SD) and Abibiman Foundation on behalf of YOUNGO.

First Published/Citinewsroom.com