Include young representatives in COP26: ActionAid Bangladesh

ActionAid Bangladesh (AAB) has urged global leaders to ensure the participation of young representatives in the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26).

The demand was made at Global Climate Strike for the third time in front of the National Press Club on Friday with Young People, said an AAB press release.

More than a hundred representatives of Young People, including 15 transgender people, attended the strike and expressed opinions on climate change effects.

They said climate change was affecting the habitats, health, livelihoods and exacerbating food insecurity. People are

They said even half a degree increase in temperature would significantly worsen the risks of drought, floods, extreme heat, higher sea level, causing destruction and poverty for hundreds of millions of people, particularly those from the global south.

“We are fighting for our future as well as for creating a better future for our next generations. The sooner we act, the better our shared future will be,” said a young percipient.

In her statement, Farah Kabir, Country Director, ActionAid Bangladesh, said young people around the globe, including Bangladesh, want to take COP26 as an opportunity to raise their voice. But the conference is not going to be participatory because of the vaccination issue for age bars.

“COP will not be meaningful if there is no participation of the future generation,” she said, demanding to ensure the participation of the young community to make the conference effective.

AAB’s Resilience and Climate Justice and Young People Strategic Priority reached out to the unheard voices from youth for the upcoming COP26, Youth COP and other relevant

events on climate issues. The young people of Bangladesh expressed their solidarity with the theme of Global Climate Strike to reinforce the climate movement.

On the other hand, young people from nine local rights programme and two youth platforms organised the global climate strike at 19 districts to support the Global Climate Strike from Bangladesh.