Attending and speaking at the event were Mr. Francesco Corvaro, Special Envoy on Climate Change, Head of the Italian Negotiation Delegation; Mr. Pham Van Tan, Deputy Director of the Department of Climate Change, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment; Ms. Sangji Lee, Technical Expert on NDC, Green Economy and Just Transition, UNDP New York; Ms. Antonia Saraiva-Calderia, Deputy Director of the Department of International Climate and Energy Analysis, Department of Energy Security and Net Zero Emissions, United Kingdom.
Speaking at the event, Mr. Pham Van Tan, Deputy Director of the Department of Climate Change, said: Vietnamese youth account for 23% of the country's population and are considered a force for innovation and action. Vietnamese youth not only face the most severe impacts of climate change, but also have the opportunity to make decisions to shape a more sustainable and resilient future.
Engaging young people in negotiations and actions on climate change will create opportunities for Vietnamese youth to interact with international youth and governments, research organizations on climate action and business. The Department of Climate Change will continue to cooperate with international organizations and development partners to promote youth participation in the development and implementation of climate change response policies. Regarding the just energy transition, the Department will consult annually with all stakeholders and hopes that youth representatives can prepare and participate in these discussions.
Building enabling mechanisms will help accelerate youth-led actions and meaningfully engage youth, creating space and opportunities for youth to participate in planning and policy-making processes.
In fact, Vietnamese youth have become increasingly active in participating in policy-making and climate action. Specific recommendations have been made in the Special Report on Climate Action 2021, presented to the President of COP26, and the Special Report on Youth Action for Climate 2022, presented by two Vietnamese youth representatives at COP27.
Mr. Francesco Corvaro, Special Envoy for Climate Change, Head of the Italian Negotiation Delegation, highly appreciated the results of the youth projects. Italy has received thousands of projects from developing countries, among which the youth have quite impressive projects. They need opportunities to carry out activities to respond to climate change and the environment. He expressed his belief in the ability of the young generation of Vietnam and the need to discuss to build specific projects in the coming time.
UNDP representative, Ms. Sangji Lee, said that young people need to have their views heard and participate in the process of building and implementing policies to respond to climate change. At present, Vietnam should focus on implementing the Resource Mobilization Plan to implement JETP and on education and raising awareness about responding to climate change.
The Youth4Climate initiative, funded by UNDP under the Climate Promise Programme, supports more than 120 countries in enhancing their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and improving their climate goals. In Viet Nam, UNDP initiated the Youth4Climate initiative in 2020 in collaboration with the Department of Climate Change and the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, to strengthen the capacity of existing youth representatives and youth networks and promote their climate action on the frontlines, contributing to accelerating Viet Nam’s achievement of its climate goals.
To provide a space for young people to learn about climate science and policy, the first Youth4Climate Learning Hub was established, together with the independent Youth Climate Network (YNet). Young climate leaders also proposed a Climate Action Roadmap for 2021-2025 with key strategic areas.
The development of the Youth4Climate Roadmap 2021-2025 clearly demonstrates the aspirations of Vietnamese youth in contributing to national climate goals. In 2023, the Youth4Climate Youth Climate Policy Working Group (YPWG) was established with the support of UNDP to raise youth voices and improve youth participation in two priority areas: Just Energy Transition and Climate Change Education.
At the dialogue, Dao Manh Tri, Head of the Just Energy Transition Working Group (YPWG), presented the policy brief “Youth in Energy Transition”. The report proposed practical recommendations to promote meaningful participation of young people in a just and inclusive energy transition.
Nguyen Son Tra, a member of the Climate Change Education Working Group (YPWG), presented the report “Youth in Climate Change Education”. The research group pointed out that with a quarter of the population under 30 years old, Vietnam needs to invest significantly in training future leaders. The report outlines the needs and perspectives of students and teachers on integrating climate change education into the secondary school curriculum. It highlights recommendations to help improve the effectiveness and scale of this action in the coming time.
Representing YPWG, two young people Dao Manh Tri and Nguyen Ngoc Tam Nhu presented the group's 2024 plan, focusing on research activities, organizing many awareness-raising programs, workshops on youth and climate action, and developing two reports on policy dialogue to send to the COP29 Conference.
Mr. Pham Van Tan and Ms. Sangji Lee affirmed that the Department of Climate Change and UNDP will continue to support the Youth Group in implementing activities to implement the Youth Action Plan 2024.
Global Youth Progress at COP28
At COP28, the Young Climate Leaders (YOUNGO) presented the Global Youth Statement (GYS) to world leaders and the UN Secretary-General during a youth roundtable. The GYS is the result of 700,000 contributions from local youth conferences, including Vietnam, and more than 50 policy competitions.
In addition, the Youth Climate Forum takes place daily, serving as a high-level dialogue between negotiators and youth delegates. The forum aims to discuss the COP28 negotiations and present youth demands to decision-makers at COP28.
On 8 December, YOUNGO also hosted the Youth Stocktake to Review the UNFCCC Processes, a youth-led initiative to review key milestones, identify gaps and address challenges related to youth inclusion in international climate policy processes.
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