Ensuring Civic Engagement of Youth in COP 29 and Climate Action – United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bonn

Ensuring Civic Engagement of Youth in COP 29 and Climate Action – United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bonn

The Global Youth Development Institute (GYDI) held a significant side event addressing the critical topic of ensuring meaningful civic engagement of young people in COP 29, with a particular focus on Azerbaijan. 

Timothy Damon, Founder and President of GYDI, underscored the necessity of civil liberties for effective youth participation in climate action. He emphasized the essential role of human rights and civic liberties in empowering young people to engage meaningfully in climate action. Reflecting on his decade-long experience with the UNFCCC process, Damon noted the positive impact hosting COP can have on local youth engagement. He highlighted the need for an environment where civil society can fully utilize capacity-building and training opportunities, ensuring that young people have the necessary support and resources to participate effectively.

Maria Reyes, a Mexican climate justice and human rights activist, delivered a powerful speech highlighting the inseperable link between climate justice and human rights. Reyes expressed deep concern over the increasing arrests of human rights defenders in Azerbaijan since the announcement of COP 29. She warned that the shrinking civic space in Azerbaijan could severely limit local youth participation in COP 29, creating a gap in engagement and isolating local youth from international climate action efforts. Reyes called on the UN and COP 29 presidency to ensure a safe and inclusive environment for all participants, emphasizing the need for clear rules and accountability for security personnel at the conference.

Emin Huseynov, an Azerbaijani human rights defender and journalist with extensive experience in human rights advocacy, provided a report of the current repressive environment in Azerbaijan. He highlighted the government's ongoing crackdown on political activists, journalists, and civil society members, including young environmental journalists who have been imprisoned for exposing environmental disasters linked to the presidential family. Emin called for international solidarity and support to pressure the Azerbaijani government to cease its political repression and allow genuine civic engagement.

Prioritizing inclusive and multilateral discussion, the press conference featured address of Leyla Hasanova, COP29 Youth Climate Champion, who joined the event online. Regretfully, Ms. Hasanova didn’t comment on the particular cases and concerns regarding safe participation of young activists in Azerbaijan, raised by previous speakers. Though, she emphasized the importance of youth and NGO participation in COP29. She claimed that Azerbaijan will develop youth-friendly tools for climate action and support young climate activists.

The side event concluded with a call to action for all stakeholders to work together to ensure that COP 29 in Azerbaijan is a platform for meaningful youth engagement and human rights. The Global Youth Development Institute reaffirmed its commitment to supporting youth participation in climate action and urged the international community to hold the Azerbaijani government accountable for its human rights record.

Full Video Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Avpg7tIgS_E