Several non-governmental organizations (NGOs) will advocate for the inclusion of Portuguese youth in political decisions relating to the 29th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), COP9.
The organizations European Climate Pact, Último Recurso, Youth Climate Leaders and SOA Ocean Hub Portugal are some of the NGOs that promote a letter with five concrete actions addressed to the Portuguese delegation at COP29.
The Youth Open Charter document for COP 29 will be presented on Wednesday, during the event “Paving the way to COP29”, at Casa do Impacto, in Lisbon. In a statement announcing the event, Mariana Gomes, ambassador of the European Climate Pact, stated that “The future cannot be decided without the active participation of the younger generations”.
The first concrete action requested is exclusion of the Portuguese delegation at COP29 from representatives of the fossil fuel industry that do not have a decarbonization plan aligned with the Paris Agreement.
The second focuses on food sustainability and aims for the Portuguese pavilion at COP29 to lead initiatives with a menu focused on plant-based and accessible products. These NGOs also want the ocean conservation be a central strategy in the fight against climate change.
The fourth highlighted point is the recognition of the historical responsibilitywith which they intend for the countries of the Global North to recognize their responsibility in the climate crisis and commit to the Environmental financing for vulnerable nations..
Closing the list is the expression of concern about the repression of human rights in the COP29 host country, Azerbaijan, and calls on Portugal to assume “an active diplomatic role in favor of public participation and freedom of expression.”
Furthermore, Mariana Gomes, who is also the founder of Último Recurso, considers that “current ecological policies and commitments are insufficient to confront the climate emergency, which threatens fundamental human rights such as access to food, water and a healthy environment.” .
For the initiative, which has the support of the UN Future Summit, UNFCCC, Ministry of Environment and Energy, Open Dialogue on Climate Change – ODCC and European Youth Foundation, Salvador Malheiro, president of the Environment Commission Environment and Energy of the Assembly of the Republic, and Carlos Morais Pires, political advisor of the European Commission in Portugal.
Source: Observadora
