Empowering youth with skills
With support from the Government of Australia, the Commonwealth Secretariat organised its inaugural Youth Climate Negotiations training, with expert facilitation and a rigorous programme that included mock-negotiations aimed at a United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of Parties (COP). This year, COP29 will be hosted by the Government of Azerbaijan from 11 to 22 November.
Never too young to lead, and never too old to learn
Twenty-nine young people from the climate space - some working in the public sector, others climate activists or postgraduate students in the field - came together in London in September for three days, representing 21 Commonwealth countries, Ukraine and Azerbaijan.
The Commonwealth Secretary-General, the Rt Hon Patricia Scotland KC wished participants best of luck by video message. And for three days, her words were repeated and mulled over: “One is never too young to lead, and never too old to learn.”
The 29 young climate negotiators each received a certificate at the end of the training. At least five of the participants will see each other again in Azerbaijan next month at COP29.
Meet the crew
Over the three days, we got to know a little more about Jervon Sands from The Bahamas, Eunice Shapange from Namibia, Ashraf Nehal from India, and Juruath Abdulla Nafiz from Maldives, as well Leyla Hasanova – the first COP Youth Climate Champion – from Azerbaijan. They shared some of their local experiences of climate change and why they decided to follow careers in this field. They also had some great messages for world leaders.
Hear from their elders, mentors and biggest supporters
Dr James Fletcher, Managing Director of Soloricon and a former Saint Lucia government minister, facilitated the training. Dr Fletcher is well known for leading the Caribbean delegation at COP21 in Paris where he was appointed by the COP President as a member of the select group of ministers who developed the consensus that ultimately led to the Paris Agreement.
He shared some insights:
“What we’ve tried to do is make it as interactive as possible, so it is not just us presenting to them, but letting them role-play. We walk them through how to prepare an intervention statement, and then we get them to break into negotiating groups as you would in the COP system, drafting statements on climate finance in the interests of these groups. This will become the conference draft text that they will then debate.
“This is interspersed with instruction and presentations, and it will bring the issues home.”
Katy Rengel, Second Secretary at the Australian High Commission in London, is an expert negotiator. She was impressed by how the participants engaged in the mock-negotiations and how seriously they considered feedback and input from facilitators. On the last day of the training, she said:
“It’s been a real privilege to be part of the training, and what has really been a highlight for me is seeing how inspiring and fantastic all the participants are in this training. They come from very diverse backgrounds, education, different parts of the world, and how engaged and passionate they are about these issues.
“They’ve really participated fully, trying to get as much as possible out of the training – both the formal aspects of it, but also in terms of meeting the other delegates, networking and seeing this as a broader opportunity for their career development."
Uzoamaka Nwamarah, Adviser Climate Change, Commonwealth Secretariat, has been chasing the dream of offering youth climate negotiations training for some time. These three days did not disappoint, as she shared:
“This training on Youth Climate Negotiations is important for us, because we know that when we look at climate action, it has to be inclusive, and that means everybody is involved, No One Left Behind – and this means our young people should be taken along.
“It is important that young people are not only seen as beneficiaries of climate action; being looked at as the most vulnerable. Yes, they are, but they are also leaders. They are also able to provide innovative solutions. They should be at the table. They should be part of the decisions being made, because we know climate impacts are becoming more frequent and more intense and given this is the future that they would inherit, I feel they should have a say in how this future is built.”
Layne Robinson, Head, Social Policy Development, Commonwealth Secretariat, said:
“Empowering youth with negotiation skills is a game changer for climate discussions. This training equips them not just for today’s COP, but for shaping future global policies. As inheritors of tomorrow, young voices are now prepared to take a lead, ensuring their perspectives drive change across generations. This is the Commonwealth’s bold step towards a more inclusive, sustainable future.”
Unnikrishnan Nair, Assistant Director for Climate Change, Commonwealth Secretariat, said:
“This training by the Commonwealth Secretariat was for the first time focused on youth, to empower them and to make them more aware of good practices in negotiation processes and how the challenges should be met.
“So obviously it's a first step. We will be taking this process forward with our member countries. Would like to formally thank the Australian Government in terms of supporting and co-organising this event with their technical expertise.”
