Young voices at the forefront – Championing climate action at COP29

Tyrell Gittens, one of Island Innovation's Caribbean Climate Justice Leaders Academy COP29 delegates, an environmentalist, and journalist from Trinidad and Tobago, and Leyla Hasanova, COP29 Youth Champion speak on why youth voices are important.

The United Nations climate change summit, COP29, begins tomorrow (November 11) in Baku, Azerbaijan, a nation nestled between western Asia, eastern Europe, and the Caspian Sea. It bears more similarities with the Caribbean than first meets the eye. The impact of climate change on our environments, economies, and peoples highlights the reach of the crisis and underlines the need for collaboration towards shared climate adaptation and mitigation goals.

For us as COP29 Youth Climate Champion from Azerbaijan (Leyla Hasanova), and an environmentalist and journalist from Trinidad and Tobago (Tyrell Gittens), the distance and differences between us make for an ideal partnership as we head into the conference in Baku. Dubbed the ‘Finance COP’ for the emphasis on new climate finance goals set to be negotiated, the COP29 presidency is also keen to make this a COP that provides a platform for small island developing states (SIDS).

YOUTH ON THE FRONTLINES

Leyla: In my role as Youth Climate Champion, I am working to be a bridge between youth-led and youth-focused organisations and the COP process to ensure that they are mainstreamed into climate diplomacy. This includes working with YOUNGO, the official children and youth constituency of the UNFCCC, to empower children and youth and promote youth participation in climate action. We are the generation that will face the most severe consequences of climate inaction, and it’s essential that our concerns are not only heard but also acted upon.

This is also why engagement with SIDS is absolutely critical. These nations are disproportionately affected by climate change. Rising sea levels, stronger hurricanes, and the degradation of marine ecosystems are not abstract future threats for SIDS — they are realities today. Climate change is an ongoing existential threat.

Tyrell: As an environmental advocate, I often speak up about the importance of connecting communities to their natural environment as this connection can foster understanding of one’s environment and develop stewardship. It’s also important to remember that the solutions being developed to tackle biodiversity loss and climate change cannot be done in silos, and collaboration is essential.

Being part of the Caribbean Climate Justice Leaders Academy (CCJLA) has connected young Caribbean environmental stewards with a community where we can not only learn more about matters related to climate change in the Caribbean from experts, but we can learn from each. From learning about a colleague’s climate protests in Aruba to another colleague’s work on human rights advocacy in St Vincent and the Grenadines, the academy has been eye-opening to truly understand the efforts occurring on a grassroot level and how we can all connect ourselves as well as amplify awareness about each other’s work.

Leyla: As Tyrell points out, collaboration is essential to developing workable, sustainable solutions. As the Youth Champion, my priority is to amplify the voices of young people worldwide, especially those from communities most affected by climate change such as the island states in the Caribbean. Youth-led grass-roots movements must have opportunities to connect and exchange knowledge at local, regional, and international levels as this is critical for building capacity. Serving as a bridge between young activists and policymakers, my work is focused on ensuring that our generation’s ideas, innovations, and energy help shape the outcomes of COP29.

REPRESENTATION AT COP29

Tyrell: It is important for the conversations at major conferences on biodiversity and climate change to feature representation from the local and Indigenous communities who are bastions of knowledge as their way of life have always been closely connected with nature. As biodiversity and climate commitments call for people to adopt greener practices, it’s also important that people understand the importance of investing in these practices and know that they have the support to contribute to these larger sustainability goals.

Meeting people where they are in their communities will contribute to greater public buy-in to the global biodiversity framework targets and countries’ nationally determined contributions. A whole-of-society approach to translating these documents into real-world actions will make them more effective and sustainable in the long run. With the implementation of biodiversity and climate targets requiring more human resource capacity, young people and their talents are an untapped resource.

Leyla: COP29 will be a litmus test for the Paris Agreement and global climate action and a defining chapter in humanity’s response to the climate crisis. At COP29, we must enhance ambition and enable action. As young leaders, we are uniquely positioned to drive change because we bring fresh perspectives, innovative solutions, and a sense of urgency. By working alongside local communities and amplifying their stories on global platforms like COP29, we can help push for the climate justice they deserve. Youth from SIDS must be at the forefront of these discussions because their survival is directly at stake. This year, COP29 in Baku is set to address key global priorities, and I’m particularly excited about the focus on SIDS, including Caribbean nations.

At COP29, the spotlight will be on the world’s most vulnerable regions, amplifying their voices and ensuring they play a central role in decision-making. The presidency is dedicated to an inclusive process that delivers tangible outcomes. Essential to this approach is the active participation of communities most at risk from the climate crisis. To support this, the Government of Azerbaijan is funding the participation of delegations from SIDS at COP29. In addition to my role as the Youth Champion, I also serve as the chair of the Non-Aligned Movement Youth Organization, a forum representing 121 countries, including many SIDS such as Jamaica.

BETTER FUTURE TOGETHER

As leaders of both today and tomorrow, young people also have well-informed perspectives and can effectively participate in the formation of biodiversity and climate policies. With COP29 set to start, it is important that our youth perspectives are integrated into key areas like climate finance, policy development, and grass-roots initiatives. Our generation can and will play an active role in shaping a sustainable future.