Young people are stepping up to shape Vanuatu’s response to climate change.
More than 50 youth representatives from the country’s six provinces gathered for the third national Conference of Youth (COY) to contribute to Vanuatu’s National Adaptation Plan (NAP).
The consultation forms part of the government’s five-year Loss and Damage Strategy, led by the Department of Climate Change with support from Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) and UNICEF- the United Nation’s organization that provides humanitarian and development assistance to children worldwide.
The second day of the discussions which was held on the 28th of August, participants stressed the importance of ensuring that climate resilience planning addresses the core needs of communities, particularly in times of disaster.
Youth participants highlighted that the climate crisis is affecting every part of life — from water and sanitation, health and nutrition, food security and agriculture, education, the environment, and ocean.
Mario Liunamel, Coordinator of the Vanuatu Climate Action Network (VCAN), confirmed that the outcomes of the youth consultation will be taken forward to government.
“This NAP consultation will be drafted by UNICEF and endorsed by the Vanuatu government, with the hope of further engagement with youths,” Mr. Liunamel said.
UNICEF, as a key partner of government in Loss and Damage, facilitated the consultation process.
Zoraya El Raiss emphasized the importance of youth involvement, noting that the process must reflect the realities of communities beyond Port Vila.
“One of the things that the government want to ensure is that this plan is not developed just in a desk in Port Vila. They are trying to bring in different consultations and stakeholders and one of them is the yough people. They are trying to see what are the specific things that they are suffering from daily, which is completely different if we talk to other sectors of the population,” she said. As Vanuatu continues to lead globally in the fight for climate justice, the message from youth was clear: they are not just leaders of tomorrow, but leaders of today. Their contributions to the National Adaptation Plan will help shape the country’s future resilience
