Youth are at the forefront of the global climate action movement, yet they often remain underrepresented in climate negotiations and decision-making processes. To realise ambitious climate action, it is essential to integrate youth leaders and bridge generational divides.
Setting out to strengthen intergenerational collaboration for climate action, Phenomenal Women Global, in partnership with the International Gender Champions (IGC), has developed ten recommendations for engaging youth and current leaders in meaningful dialogue and action. In the guide, Manisha Tirelli, lead climate researcher at Phenomenal Women Global, and Defne Salli, an independent youth researcher from the University of Geneva, outline the importance of intergenerational collaboration in climate action and present actionable steps to achieve it. The authors highlight how we can benefit from youth expertise, the challenges youth face in accessing decision-making spaces and the importance of partnerships. They call on current leaders to engage in critical reflection, actively listen to youth representatives, deconstruct power structures, create space for youth in decision-making and leadership roles, and allocate funding to support young leaders’ participation in policy-making.
Read through Phenomenal Women’s 10 Actions to Support Intergenerational Collaboration on Climate Action here.
The International Gender Champions is committed to intergenerational collaboration through our Youth Champions Programme, which aims to amplify the voices of future leaders for gender equality by fostering mutual mentoring exchanges and intergenerational dialogue between Geneva-based Gender Champions and young activists from around the world. To learn about IGC’s Youth Champions Programme, please visit this page.
