Resolution Recap Series: Resolution on Enhancing the Meaningful Participation of Youth in Environmental Processes and in Environmental Education

What This Resolution Is About

Out of the 15 resolutions proposed in the UNEA-7 cycle, the “Resolution on Enhancing the Meaningful Participation of Youth in Environmental Processes and in Environmental Education”, or simply the “Youth Resolution”, could be considered CYMG’s brainchild. Conversations around a potential youth resolution started in late 2022, and accelerated in 2023 in the lead-up to UNEA-6. However, after failing to secure a Member State sponsor, CYMG turned its attention to UNEA-7.

Efforts in 2024 ahead of UNEA-7 re-started with a new CYMG-developed concept note for the Youth Resolution, circulated among Member States (MS). After months of intense advocacy ahead, CYMG members were elated to see their hard-earned work pay off, with a draft UNEA-7 resolution tabled by Sri Lanka. The first draft of the resolution centered around key demands including, but not limited to, the integration of children and youth within environmental decision making processes and empowering them with the green skills and tools to advance their green careers.

While some of the text’s ambition was lost throughout the negotiations, the ultimate adoption of the resolution can still be seen as a milestone in the institutionalisation of youth participation in environmental governance.

What Happened in the Room & How CYMG Contributed

Early on in the negotiation room, several delegations had demonstrated their unease with the resolution’s content, with some delegations going as far as to suggest the withdrawal of the resolution altogether, under the guise that the way that it was written would encroach on the sovereign right of the state over its decision making process. Other delegations showed a more restrained response to the content of the resolution, identifying a number of red lines, including:

1. Establishing a clear understanding of the term “youth”, bearing in mind the individual regulations of each Member State (MS): The majority of Member states opposed the inclusion of legal minors including children in environmental policymaking processes.

2. Removing the term “green skills” and, instead, referring to “skills for sustainable lifestyles”, a term used in previous UNEA resolutions: Some delegations were of the opinion that referring to green skills alone implicitly excludes other skills necessary for sustainable development.

3. Removing any examples that guide the applications of the articles of the resolution on the national level: According to the red line’s proponents, it was “the state’s prerogative” to decide the appropriate measures to implement the resolution on the ground. As a result, mentions of establishment of youth councils have been removed. 

4. Eliminating any explicit mention of the integration of youth in the decision making process. Instead, some MS argued for including a reference to the inclusion of young people in “environmental processes”. 

The youth resolution has also seen cross-cutting contentions that reverberated across multiple discussions during UNEA-7, including: 1) Rejection of references to intergovernmentally agreed language on the meaningful engagement of youth, 2) rejection of text that may imply reliance on citizen science and/or indigenous knowledge; and 3) the addition of qualifiers like “consider doing”, “may”, "invites" etc., which generally represent weaker commitment.

CYMG advocated for a high level of ambition both during the formal negotiations, delivering official statements within the negotiation room, and through extensive engagement with Member States beyond formal settings. In addition to directly arguing in favour of specific elements of the text and against weakened wording, CYMG was able to supply draft wording, arguments, and historical policy evidence to sponsor Member States, who could use these during negotiations and while editing the draft text.

Evaluating the final UNEA-7 outcome

Despite some disappointing amendments, this resolution secured several milestone wins:

1. The recognition of the disproportionate impact of the triple planetary crisis on Children and Youth, and the acknowledgment of the exacerbating impact such crises pose on vulnerable communities; 

2. The recognition of the role of the Children and Youth Major Group and the Youth Environment Assembly as the official platform for the amplification of the full, effective, meaningful, constructive and inclusive participation of youth in environmental processes.

3. The invitation for MS to provide youth with “full, effective, meaningful, constructive and inclusive participation in environmental matters and processes.” In addition, to urging MS to consider the introduction of Environmental education and competences relevant for sustainable development and work. Despite the disappointing removal of the phrase “decision-making”, “processes” is a sufficiently broad concept that ambitious Member States and UNEP Secretariat could interpret it in a more favourable way that paves the way for enhanced youth engagement in many, if not all, forums. 

   
   

The bottom line

Here is how you can help pave an even more ambitious and positive way forward for the implementation at the local, national and regional levels:

1. Start local conversations to enhance the understanding that young people have of environmental issues and policymaking.

2. Urge your local and national governments to recognize the role of children within decisionmaking processes through the establishment of children and youth councils and advisor groups.

3. Work with youth networks to strengthen youth participation in regional intergovernmental fora, including processes that fall under the UN Regional Commissions.

4. Join and contribute to CYMG and other global youth constituencies to feed into international processes like UNEA and the Rio Conventions (UNFCCC, UNCBD, UNCCD).

See you in the next one!