Youth advocates empowered

Article was first published by Nation News 

Alarming coral damage with more than 50 per cent loss in the last 50 years and food security for marginalised communities at risk.

These were some of the pressing issues that took centre stage as youth advocates convened for a Climate Action And Human Rights Roundtable, jointly hosted by the High Commission of Canada and the United Nations Resident Coordinator’s Office (RCO) at UN House on October 6th.

The roundtable kicked off with welcome remarks from Brenda Wills, Canadian High Commissioner designated to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, who emphasised the importance of youth involvement.

“Youth inspire all of us. You are our future leaders, so it’s really important to Canada that we facilitate these kinds of conversations,” she said, highlighting the global nature of climate change and its far-reaching impacts on economy, development and security.

Juana Sotomayor, Human Rights Adviser at UN RCO Barbados & Eastern Caribbean, led a segment on the Human Rights-based Approach to Climate Action. She introduced the acronym PANEL (Participation, Accountability, Non-Discrimination and Equality, Empowerment, and Legality) as a framework for understanding this approach.

Participants eagerly contributed their perspectives on these principles. Diara Springer highlighted the importance of inclusion, particularly of fisherfolk in climate action processes.

“When we are discriminatory to particular groups based on biases that we may have, we leave out persons that can actually have a very positive impact on what the issue actually is,” Springer said.

Karla Nichols and Ché Greenidge both spoke to the crucial role of empowerment and education.

Nichols pointed out, “Empowerment and education is important because you can’t advocate for yourself if you don’t have the information to do so.”

Greenidge, who works with the deaf and hard-of-hearing community, added: “When I think about empowerment, I think of a particular group having what they need to lead on their issues.”

The roundtable also addressed marine conservation and biodiversity. Dr Elon Cadogan, an environmentalist presented alarming statistics on coral damage, reporting more than 50 per cent loss in coral over the last 50 years. This sparked a discussion on youth involvement in marine conservation efforts.

Samuel Boston acknowledged the economic barriers that limited local participation in marine activities.

Practical solutions

“There’s an economic barrier keeping us above the waves,” he noted, mentioning the high cost of engaging in activities like scuba diving and sailing. “With the current cost of living, many Bajans are unable to experience their marine environment firsthand.”

Boston expressed hope that a programme addressing these barriers could be started.

Maria Marshall proposed practical solutions.

“We can start by trying to make a campaign to influence the people of Barbados to know that certain things you can’t do or can’t wear when you’re going to the beach – like certain makeups and sunscreens,” Marshall suggested.

Data transparency in environmental monitoring was also raised. Cadogan emphasised the importance of publishing real data, even when it was not favourable. “If we don’t show this data, if we continue to hide the fact that things are bad, then no one will know our real situation,” he stated.

Food security and its connection to climate action was another key topic, led by Roberto Telleria from the Food and Agricultural Organisation. Yemi Knight highlighted the need for regional collaboration in food sustainability and raised concerns about dietary needs of people with chronic illnesses.

The final segment, conducted by Giovanni Buckle, focused on empowering youth for climate resilience and the long-term impact of current decisions.

“The decisions that we make today will affect us 30, 40, 50 years on in the future. We have to make sure that we can advocate for ourselves. Our voice is our most powerful asset,” he said.