BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 11. The youth's perspective on climate change needs to be promoted, said Sigurd Seindal Krabbe, Youth Delegate to the UN for Climate and Environment Scouting, at YNA's COP29 Youth Leadership Forum in Baku, Trend reports.
"For me, it’s of great importance to be a representative of youth in this space, because while nearly half of the world’s population is young, they do not constitute half of the world’s decision-makers. Therefore, in my view, the current decision-making approach does not reflect the democratic mandate it should be based on," he said.
Krabbe expressed hope that one day, youth will be included in key discussions alongside other representatives.
"However, I still believe youth advocacy must exist because the opinions of youth, and for example, lawyers, will differ. This will be a special group in need of representation and protection of their interests," he added.
The opening ceremony of the much-anticipated COP29 conference has kicked off today at the Baku Olympic Stadium.
The highest-level event within COP29, the World Leaders Climate Action Summit, will take place on November 12-13.
The decision to host COP29 in Azerbaijan was made at the COP28 plenary session held in Dubai on December 11 of last year.
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, signed in June 1992 at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, aims to prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system. The “COP” (Conference of the Parties) is the highest governing body responsible for overseeing the convention’s implementation.
A total of 198 countries participate in the convention. Unless otherwise agreed, COP is held annually. The first COP took place in Berlin in March 1995, with its secretariat headquartered in Bonn.