Bangladesh Youth CoP 2024: Mobilising for Climate Justice with 14 Demands

Over 200 young climate activists from across the country have issued 14 demands to ensure climate justice in Bangladesh 2.0. These demands aim to amplify the voices of young people at the grassroots level and ensure their participation in national and international policymaking processes to address the climate crisis.

At the closing ceremony of the three-day Bangladesh Youth CoP 2024 conference, jointly organised by ActionAid Bangladesh and the Brighters Youth Society at Aloki Convention Centre in the capital on Wednesday, 18 September, the youth presented their manifesto. The conference, held in a hybrid format, brought together over 200 young representatives who discussed pressing climate issues such as safe drinking water shortages, wetland crises, and the hardships faced by drought- and flood-affected areas. They also exchanged views with experts on these matters.

The conference emphasised the importance of implementing climate justice through youth-led initiatives and a green economy. Key discussions focused on renewable energy, addressing the losses and damages caused by climate change, and prioritising the impacts on marginalised communities, especially women and adolescents.

Prior to the conference, a series of consultations were conducted with youths from grassroots areas, including Satkhira, Cox's Bazar, Kurigram, Sunamganj, and Bandarban, to gather their opinions on climate change. Additionally, various sessions during the three-day conference addressed youth-led disaster management, climate finance, a feminist perspective on climate justice, the role of the media in addressing climate change, and climate-related policies. National and international climate experts participated in these discussions.

The discussions highlighted the need for effective policies and initiatives at all levels to tackle the impacts of climate change and establish climate justice in Bangladesh. Speakers called upon the government and relevant institutions to enhance youth capacity and take youth-led initiatives to address climate change, stressing the importance of allocating funds for these initiatives.

In the closing session, Farah Kabir, Country Director of ActionAid Bangladesh, emphasised the need to create opportunities for youth to lead initiatives on climate justice and ensure that their demands reach national policymakers and decision-makers at CoP-29 in Azerbaijan. She said, "Young people are taking the initiative to achieve climate justice in a new Bangladesh; we have to create spaces and scopes for them. I believe the Bangladesh Youth CoP will be able to gain attention from national and international policymakers."

Young climate activist Jannatul Naeem said, "People in the most marginalised areas of Bangladesh are suffering the most from this global climate crisis. We have heard about the struggles of around 800 climate activists in these marginalised areas over the past month. Through these 14 demands, we want to influence policy discussions at both the national and international levels."

Dr. Ainun Nishat, a climate expert, stated, "The climate crisis is not an isolated issue. Our country has laws in place. We need to assess the extent to which solutions to each problem can be implemented at the local level. Youth should lead local-level disaster and water management initiatives. Moreover, the parameters of climate change adaptation must be gender-sensitive and youth-oriented."

Nardia Simpson, Acting High Commissioner of Australia, underscored the need for sustained advocacy in the fight against climate change, saying: "We need to consistently raise our voices to address the climate crisis. At the same time, young people must unite and collectively raise awareness about climate issues. We must repeatedly communicate to those who deny the climate crisis through policy advocacy. We need to take this effort to a larger scale."

Anders B. Karlsen, Deputy Head of Mission at the Danish Embassy, emphasised the importance of inclusive participation in addressing the climate crisis, saying: "The climate crisis is a global and mainstream issue. We must listen to the demands of young people to address this crisis. The voices of young people must be elevated both locally and globally to ensure climate justice."

DEUR Julien, Head of the Economic Department at the French Embassy in Bangladesh, highlighted the power of collective action in addressing climate challenges: "When people come together to solve a problem, solutions emerge. We must all work together. In the pursuit of climate justice, we must give space to young leadership alongside government efforts."

Nayoka Martinez, First Secretary at the Swedish Embassy, stated, "Young people are the architects of the future. They have opened new doors of possibilities for a new Bangladesh. Their strong voices have created an environment of accountability at all levels of society. Young people can teach everyone how to ensure climate justice. They can unite everyone towards a common goal."

Among those present at the closing session were Korvi Rakhshand, Founder of Jaago Foundation; Arif M Faisal, Programme Specialist at UNDP Bangladesh; Mozammel Haque, Senior Climate Analyst at BRAC; Ariful Islam Adib, and Monira Sharmin, members of the Jatiya Nagorik Committee, among others. Additionally, distinguished officials from various embassies, government and non-governmental development organisations, academia, and the media, along with over 200 young climate activists, were in attendance.

Youth's Demands for Climate Justice:

1. Take necessary initiatives to address the climate induced health issues, especially reproductive health problems of marginalized women and adolescent girls and introduce mobile health care service at disaster shelters.
2. Ensure safe drinking water and food security for the most vulnerable people affected by climate change through proper coordination between public and private initiatives.
3. Construction of sustainable dams in coastal areas.
4. Strengthen and provide necessary support to locally led adaptation initiatives under the leadership of young people, and allocate adequate resource and budget
5. Develop skills of young people to deal with negative effects of climate change, revise education curriculum and calendar.
6. Support to enhance livelihood, alternative livelihood, and protect traditional professions, food security through enhancing research and investment.
7. Provide policy support from Government to empower youth to create green economy and circular economy.
8. Create green belt to combat disasters and consider effects of climate change during infrastructural development. 
9. Introduce and implement appropriate law and measures to stop plastic pollution.
10. Empower women to combat the negative social impacts caused by climate change such as child marriage, violence against women etc.
11. Make disaster shelters women, children and person with disability friendly. Minimize helplessness of women, children, person with disability, and other marginalized population during climate change related disasters.
12. Enhance youth participation at national, regional, and international policymaking forums to capacitate them to fight climate change.
13. Ensure sustainable rehabilitation of internally displaced families.
14. Making sure of alternative communication channel running during disasters in vulnerable areas.