Rabat – The British embassy in Rabat hosted on Friday, September 10, an event for the launch of the Global Youth Letter, echoing 8000 young people’s call for vital climate action.
The British Council had launched the Global Youth Letter on Climate Action, a call for action from young people globally, directly addressing the leaders attending COP26 – the 26th UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow in November 2021.
The letter is the result of a large-scale research exercise between the British Council and nonprofit social enterprise Catalyst in Communities, who used a mixed methodology approach to garner the views, experiences, and aspirations of 8,000 young people across 23 countries.
Moroccan youth were especially receptive to the UK’s call for the planet.
Various young social media personalities attended the event and spoke on the urgency of climate action and the commitment of young Moroccans through COP26.
Simon Martin, British ambassador to Morocco, reaffirmed his country’s climate-friendly efforts, saying the UK is committed to working with all countries and joining forces with civil society, to implement the Paris agreement and “reach the ambitions and goals attached to COP26.”
Sylvia Lopez Ekra, the UN resident coordinator to Morocco, spoke on the urgency of climate action at the event. Today, she argued, “we have facts, numbers, and verifiable data, irrefutable, that shows we are headed for an irreversible climate crisis.”
The UN official mentioned the numerous natural disasters our planet has been experiencing in the past few years, adding: “More than ever, the need for action, and the need to honour our promises is becoming imperious.”
Ihssan Bellouch, a Moroccan influencer, told Morocco World News that “we now have to listen to young people, instead of the usual statements from decision makers.”
Also in attendance, Italian Ambassador to Morocco Armando Barucco lauded youth’s participation in efforts to combat climate challenges.
Italy, which will co-host the COP26, will also host 400 young people aged between 18 and 29 from the 197 member-countries of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
The meeting will take place in Milan from September 28-30 to discuss proposals on topics that affect the negotiation process of Pre-COP26 in Milan and COP26 in Glasgow.
Themed “Youth Climate: Driving Ambition,” the meeting in Milan is part of the process of “involvement of young people, which started in 2019, also thanks to the support of Italy, with the United Nations Youth Climate Summit, held in New York on 21st September 2019.
The event will also serve as an opportunity for youth from across the world to develop concrete proposals for Pre-COP26 in Milan and COP26 in Glasgow.
Still a long way to go
The participation of youth aims to strengthen the urgent call for action to address the challenges of climate change.
A British Council Report stressed the need for action to find solutions to the ever growing threat facing both humanity and thousands of other species.
According to findings from the Global Youth Letter Report, about 75% of young people across the world report “having skills to deal with climate change in their communities.”
However, 69% have “never participated in climate action.”
The letter also highlighted a lack of trust from young people on leaders. According to the findings, 67% of young people feel “leaders cannot address climate change alone.”
The participation of Moroccan youth in COP26 is also an opportunity to promote actions against climate change in Morocco.
While Morocco is increasing its efforts in line with the world’s pledge to act against climate change, the overwhelming consensus among experts is that more work is needed in the field.
In 2019, Afrobarometer said that a large number of Moroccans are not aware of climate change and how it affects the environment.
The report shows that at the time 4 out of 10 Moroccans or 39% of the population had “never heard about climate change.”
