UN Global Youth Consultation on Climate Action

Young people are driving global climate action. We want to empower all our member organisations in climate action, through education, training, public awareness, public participation opportunities, access to information, and international cooperation on these matters.

On 17th November 2020, Rianna Carroll, YEE representative from our member organisation Eco-UNESCO based in Ireland, attended Global Youth Consultation on Climate Action organised by UN Secretary-General’s Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change. Read more about the event, and Rianna´s impressions, and find your motivation to take an action! 

Could you please tell us a little bit more about the event you attended and your role in it?

The Global Youth Consultation on Climate Action was organised by the UN Secretary-General’s Youth Advisory Group (YAG) on Climate Change. Activists from across the globe attended, ranging from the USA to Lebanon. After some brief introductions, we split into break rooms to discuss our chosen topics – my group discussed the UN Secretary-General’s six climate-positive actions and which we felt was most important. We then presented our final proposal to all the groups, a combination of the points “Work together” and “Leave no one behind”. 

How did you enjoy it? Why did you decide to participate? What was the highlight of the event for you? 

It was an amazing experience, I feel I have learned so much, even just from one brief call. Hearing so many different perspectives from around the world was really inspiring, everyone has experienced this crisis differently, we all had varying ideas, proposals, and thoughts. I’m so glad I decided to apply through YEE on a whim, it was so worth it!

The highlight for me was easily at the end when we took the group photo, it was a really lovely moment full of community and unity. 

What’s next? Are there any follow-up actions after this event? Can we expect your participation in any of them? 

There are certainly more events to come! 2021 will be a big year in terms of climate. The topics and proposals from the consultation will serve as an action plan for the coming months. I’m not sure how much I can say, but I’d suggest keeping an eye out for any future YAG consultations – I’ll be serving as a contact for future regional groups. 

Thank you Rianna and Eco-UNESCO, we are looking forward to what´s to come!