Round Up from COP15 and what lies ahead

Personal testimonies given to our Young Reporters at COP 15:
“It’s great to see so many young people at the summit. They are right to say ‘this is our world too, you elders have made a mess of things and should get out of the way’.” Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu

"Young people are not just the audience - you are the activists. When millions of people come together, we can make a real difference. I get more letters and emails about climate change than any other issue. There is a real pressure from young people to do something about it,” Gordon Brown, UK Prime Minister

“To bring about a change, children can make a tremendous change in the question of mitigating climate change,” Rajendra Pachauri, chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

“Thousands of young people care about the outcome of this conference. They all want their future to be safer,” Yvo de Boer, Executive Secretary, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

“It is very important that children are involved at this conference because it encourages them to understand the full meaning of the convention on the rights of the child and secondly in my experience children are communicating in a skillful way with each other and together, “ Mary Robinson, former Irish President

“I think it is really important that children’s voices are heard because it is your future we are talking about and you need to solve it by yourself because we are not going to solve your problems miraculously,” John Holmes, UN ions Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator

“I would hope they (children) would be there,” John Kerry, former US Presidential candidate.
“It is crucial that children and young people participate. And for us adults, it is of great importance that we think about that it is you who are young, and those who are actually not yet born, that we are now making decisions for,” Åsa-Britt Karlsson, Swedish Environment State Secretary

Kenyan Environment Minister John Michuki walked hand-in-hand with 12-year old Plan supported reporter Joseph & invited him to come to his office in Nairobi to discuss more.

“Let’s not wait while they talk … we have a generation that won’t wait,” Josette Sheeran, Executive Director World Food Programme:

“It’s a right to participate – but it’s also just smart to listen,” Ulla Tornaes, Minister for Development Cooperation, Denmark: on children’s participation

Moving forward – what Plan is now calling for:
Plan calls on UNFCCC decision makers to take the following measures to promote intergenerational justice:
• Acknowledge children as official stakeholders, providing formal mechanisms for children to
join the dialogue and contribute to decision making on climate change.
• Guide national delegations on how to facilitate consultations with children on climate
change decision-making.
• Ensure full accountability for commitments made on mitigation and adaptation, by
developing monitoring and evaluation mechanisms which provide for the contribution of
children’s views.
• Encourage civil society organisations engaged in climate change to establish formal
mechanisms for children’s participation.
• Emphasise the significance of children – in terms of differentiated impacts and children’s
‘agency’ – within the 5th IPCC Assessment Report.
• Insist that governments must invest more in education so future generations have the
knowledge and skills to better manage our environment and adapt to climate change.