#Youth4Adaptation: Building a Climate-Resilient Future

This #Youth4Adaptation session will present the results of the consultation process led by the GCA Youth Leadership and Education program in 2023, culminated in the publication on ‘Youth Engagement with Adaptation through the Global Stocktake’. 

Event description

Africa is on the frontline of the climate emergency it did not create. Africa’s youth population is the largest ever with almost one billion people under the age of 35. Climate change is an intergenerational issue, disproportionately impacting younger generations who will experience worsening climate impacts throughout their lifetime. African countries can avoid some of the worst effects of climate change by taking adaptation measures now.

To strengthen the youth adaptation movement, in 2023 the Global Center on Adaptation’s (GCA) has convened five regional Youth Adaptation Forums globally and five Regional African Youth Consultations on Adaptation in every region of Africa, which mobilized over 6500 people, including from 51 African countries.

These consultations contributed to the #Youth4Adaptation Communique, the Communique is included as part of recommendations for the Global Stocktake in GCA’s publication on ‘Youth Engagement with Adaptation through the Global Stocktake’, which will be launched at the event.

Format and key objectives
This thirty-minute session will present the results of the consultation process led by the GCA Youth Leadership and Education program in 2023. The session will bring together leaders from across governments, international organizations, and young people, as well as policy- and decision-makers to:

• Present the publication on ‘Youth Engagement with Adaptation through the Global Stocktake’, with input on youth engagement with the Global Goal on Adaptation and the Global Stocktake from over 137 countries around the world. 
• Champion adaptation education and youth views in adaptation policies, including by launching the Arabic version of the Toolkit for Youth on Adaptation & Leadership.
• Discuss the importance of fostering youth leadership, creating adaptation jobs, and mainstreaming education and training on climate adaptation.