Young people are leading the fight against climate change

The Quezon City Government and the United Nations Children's Fund Philippines on Sunday said that they recognized the voice, agency, and leadership of children and youth in climate change efforts during this year's World Children's Day celebration.

At a gathering in Quezon City Memorial Circle, youth climate activists, and delegates for the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference or Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC, more commonly referred to as COP28, tackled the "Ngayon, Para Bukas: A Call for Collective Climate Action".

Despite being the global epicenter of the climate crisis, and having the highest levels of youth eco-anxiety, and displacement, children in the Philippines are taking matters into their own hands through their initiatives.

"Ngayon, Para Bukas! A Call for Collective Climate Action" brought children's perspectives ahead of the COP28 in Dubai. Results from children's dialogues and surveys from the Local Conference of Youth 2023, U-Report, and the Quezon City Children's Climate Change Agenda were presented to the COP28 Philippine delegation.

Among the demands of the children and young people include community-centered platforms for young people's education and participation, mental health support networks, and safe and enabling environments for Indigenous Peoples and environmental defenders.

"Children in the Philippines are bearing the brunt of climate change. They need to be given more opportunities to meaningfully participate in the decisions and actions that affect them. The voices, perspectives, and ideas of children and young people must be heard at the highest levels and taken seriously. Many children and youth are already doing their part," UNICEF Philippines Representative Oyunsaikhan Dendevnorov says.

Among the youth-led programs highlighted in the event included an organization protecting Irrawaddy dolphins in Western Visayas; an initiative teaching environmental and agricultural programs to public schools; a network of young environmentalist journalists; and an advocacy group that empowers communities living around the Pasig River.

"Youth are our most active force in nation-building, and we must maximize their skills and talents to secure the success of our climate change initiatives," Mayor Joy Belmonte said.

The Quezon City Government is at the forefront of the battle against the climate crisis.

From the promotion of sustainable energy, active mobility, food security, water conservation, and air quality management to a circular economy, the Quezon City Government has been successful in its environmental endeavors resulting in many recognitions here and abroad.

UNICEF in the Philippines is working to make essential social services more resilient to the effects of climate change, support mitigation, and adaptation strategies, and give children the education and skills needed to play a leading role in the transition to a more sustainable world.

UNICEF is calling on the Philippine government to ensure that government agencies involved in climate, environment, and resilience, and those working with children and young people work together and rationalize plans for climate mitigation and adaptation and ensure that these plans are sufficiently resourced; include youth representatives in the interagency steering committees that make decisions on key climate change efforts and provide them with regular feedback; work with local government agencies to ensure proper coordination, rationalization and consolidation of government agency directives involved in climate change to lessen the burden on the local government unit.

Plans of local governments should be fully funded and responsive to the specific and heightened vulnerabilities of children and youth, and their right to meaningful participation should be realized.