Armenia’s youth to present climate agenda proposals on international platforms

What changes when climate change is discussed not only by experts and policymakers, but also by the generation that will have to live with the consequences of those changes?

More than 100 young people and teenagers from different regions of Armenia spent two days discussing, proposing ideas and debating this very question. But the purpose of the meeting was not simply to talk: their task was to turn their own ideas and the problems facing their communities into joint proposals. As a result, a National Youth Statement was adopted. It represents the unified position of Armenia’s teenagers and young people and, at the next stage, is to be presented on international platforms, including at CBD COP17 to be held in Yerevan, and, ahead of COP31, incorporated into the process of developing the Global Youth Statement.

“I participated in COP28 in Dubai, and that was when I realized how important it is for us to have a national statement. When young people participate in such conferences, they need to have an approved document in their hands that they can use to present the problems facing Armenia. I am confident that if young people from Armenia participate in COP31, they will go there more confidently and take clearer steps, knowing what they are going to present,” Ani Paltajyan, a member of the Youth Climate Council established under the Ministry of Environment and UNICEF, told Armenpress.

For participants from different regions, climate change is not an abstract concept. It is connected to water, agriculture, nature, biodiversity, community development and, ultimately, their future.

According to Ashot Matevosyan, a member of the Youth Climate Council, young people’s voices are becoming increasingly heard in Armenia, but that is not enough. Young people’s voices must also be valued and given due importance.

“Today, the whole world is trying to transition to a green economy, and numerous problems arise along the way, particularly concerning the labor market. Jobs that are relevant today are gradually being pushed into the background as the transition to a green economy takes place.

“That is why we attach importance to the concept of a ‘just transition,’ so that young people have the opportunity to acquire the skills required by the new labor market.

“For this, it is necessary to create new forms of education and new opportunities for young people that will help them acquire green skills and find their place in the new labor market,” he said.

The Local Conference of Youth (LCOY Armenia) was organized by the Youth Climate Council established by the Ministry of Environment and UNICEF.

Under the slogan “Nothing about us without us,” numerous issues were raised by participants at the LCOY conference, including the lack of financing needed to address climate change and related problems, as well as the challenge of the green transition.

Young people are well aware of the need to reduce the carbon footprint, but at the same time emphasize that this must be done in a way that does not harm a number of sectors.

According to Marine Mkhitaryan, Director of Strategic Partnerships at the charitable foundation Armenia Tree Project (ATP), this was a very important opportunity to rebuild and strengthen ties with young people.

“Armenia Tree Project has been working in Armenia for more than 30 years. We are not only promoting the green agenda, but also have a major public awareness mission.

“Together with our partners at UNICEF, we also initiated support for LCOY, the youth conference. It means that the voice of young people, in particular, must be heard alongside government negotiations.

“If we imagine COP17 as a platform for intergovernmental negotiations, where representatives from more than 50 countries will sit around the negotiating table and discuss the biodiversity agenda, then the question arises: how will Armenia’s needs and the views of Armenia’s population, particularly young people, be reflected in this process?

“Platforms such as LCOY provide an opportunity to fill that gap,” Marine Mkhitaryan said.

Thus, the two days of discussions concluded not simply with photographs and exchanges, but with a document through which Armenia’s young people are trying to make their voices heard by decision-makers.