A communique issued at a National Dissemination Workshop on Nigeria’s NDCS and Youth Position at COP26: a nexus for climate risks and opportunity in Nigeria, in commemoration of the 2021 International Youth Day, held on Thursday 19th August 2021, at Connected Advocacy conference room Edo State and CSDEVNET Secretariate conference hall and virtually in Nigeria.
Preamble: A National Dissemination Workshop on Nigeria’s NDCs and Youth Position at Cop26: A Nexus for Climate Risks and Opportunity in Nigeria with the theme “The Role of Intergenerational Equity and Innovation in Achieving the Paris Agreement for Sustainable Livelihood and Decent Green Jobs for Youth to Tackle Climate Change and Insecurity”.
Climate change is one of the greatest dangers facing mankind in the 21st century. Its effect on youth job loss is massive. Putting into consideration the country’s position in the global economy of scale there is an urgent need for a regional synergy of strategic stakeholders, to drive innovative sustainable development actions in tackling climate change unemployment situations and food shortage while advocating for decent jobs that brings peace leaving no one behind in Nigeria.
The climate crisis of our country Nigeria is fast approaching a deplorable state and if immediate, apt attention and intervention is not taken the resultant effect will be one of the greatest disasters to the nation’s ecological, socio-economic, populational, political, and developmental advancement.
Key Concerns: The following concerns arose from the presentations and panel of discussants:
- There is an increasing wave of various forms of criminality such as cybercrimes, armed robbery, banditry, kidnapping for ransom, etc involving young people under the disguise of failure on the part of the government to create enabling environment, employment, and investments opportunities.
- Insufficient capacity and resources for youth green development initiative.
- Inadequate technological capacity to support a just transition into green development initiatives for youth and the marginalized communities
- Our rich cultural and moral values are rapidly being eroded, as it is going into extinction due to the impact of climate change.
- The government and her citizens have not been able to demonstrate purposeful solutions, in the fight against climate change at the grassroots, where communities suffer increase rates of environmental degradation, pollutions, deforestation, diseases, and death occasioned by human actions to the environment with uncoordinated policies framework to drive grassroots interventions.
- No clear evidence for data tracking and implementation of the progress of the current Nigeria NDCs.
- There is no published outcome report of Nigeria’s position before, during, and after COPs.
- Youth position is also not clearly captured in the Nigeria NDCs.
- Negotiators should appropriately present Nigeria’s interest by doing a thorough groundwork to fully understand climate issues facing the country before going to COP.
Key Resolutions: The session, therefore, resolved as follows:
- Negotiators going to COP should be fully equipped with the issues at the grassroots as the need for wider consultations with local communities to aggregate updated information on the impact of climate change to input in their negotiations at the COP is imperative at the time.
- An accountability mechanism should be created that will help in tracking the implementation progress of the NDCs in Nigeria. And produce reports including scorecards on the progress of the NDCs.
- Grassroots youth exclusion regarding young people’s inclusion in climate policy development and implementation should be well articulated at COP26 and young people should be allowed to drive the action.
- There should be a visible platform to promote local initiatives/projects on smart eco-friendly solutions for a just transition.
- Relevant government institutions and climate actors should advocate for more support in both technology and funding to improve local climate solutions.
- Increase local climate-smart education to improve grassroots engagement in the mitigation of climate crisis.
- Investing in decent green jobs and initiatives is essential for a just transition to renewable energy solutions and improved sustainable livelihoods at the grassroots.
- Climate innovations should include an alternative that will substitute practices in our communities that are harmful to the environment.
- Young people are key to achieving any sustainable impact when we talk about climate change. If young people fully understand the problem, they will drive the solution faster and more effectively with their innovations and by community organizing. Therefore, efforts should be made to bring in more young people into the space.
- Young people should be introduced to new strategies/opportunities for the preservation and protection of their environment and at the same time creating livelihood sources for them.
- Young people should be encouraged to plunge into the clean energy space; taking up innovations in getting the country to adopt clean and affordable energy for all.
- Our local and national media should increase their coverage of climate stories especially at the grassroots who are currently achieving a lot in their local communities as this will go a long way to encourage other young persons to come into the environmental space as actors or investors.
- This year’s COP26 should be held physically and not virtual. With the internet connectivity issues in Africa, many persons will be put at a disadvantage in participating fully and making our demand known.
Stakeholders: This communique is signed by the following organizations and persons present at the workshop:
- Connected Advocacy for Empowerment and Youth Development Initiative
- The Intergenerational Equity and Innovation (Youth) thematic group of the Nigeria Civil Society Framework on Paris Agreement and the SGDs (NCSFPAS)
- Climate and Sustainable Development Network of Nigeria (CSDevNet)
- Bridge That Gaps Initiative
- Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA)
- Prince Israel Orekha
- Olumide Idowu
- Gloria Kasang Bulus
- Tito Uzomah
- Lucky Abeng
- Tokoni Ngeribika
- Abdullahi Aliyu
- Sewuese Bertha Agbendeh
- Ogunlade Olamide
- Omotayo Oke
- Tshepiso Masilonyane
- Fatima Muftau
- Richard Dambo
- Afronelly Wonne
- Ezekiel Tuahuku
- Solomon Tjinyeka
- Ignatius Onuoha
- James Harrison Onwukwe
- Emmanuel Nweze
- Kevin Akoje
- Ese Anthony
- Ediongsenyene Ndunobong
- Chidinma Iro
- Osasere Maxwell Osarenkhoe
- Chinenye Anekwe
- Stephen Abu
- Olutobi Osanaiye
- Kamogelo Thumankwe
- Mulika Audu
- Shofu Ajayi