Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Technology has begun preparations to address the concerns of the Maldivian youth on climate change at the 27th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP27) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) scheduled to be held at Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, in November.
The environment ministry said that a multi-stakeholder consultation with young people on climate change will be held on October 12 along with United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), and other United Nations (UN) agencies. The ministry revealed about 150 participants including youth, government agencies, UN agencies, private companies, and other institutions have been invited to the meeting. The ministry noted the meeting will help identify the concerns and sentiments of the youth on climate change adding a special meeting for youth will be held on October 11 to prepare for the meeting. The ministry revealed a summary of the discussions will be prepared to incorporate in the advocacy address of the Maldives at the COP27.
Meanwhile, Minister of Environment, Climate Change and Technology Aishath Shauna said the government is committed to increasing youth participation in climate change advocacy and decision-making as the Maldives similar to other island nations is vulnerable to climate change. She noted that empowering the youth of small island nations in such matters will facilitate those most affected by climate change to find the most appropriate solutions to the problem.
The COP is the supreme decision-making body of the Convention. All States that are Parties to the Convention are represented at the COP, at which they review the implementation of the Convention and any other legal instruments that the COP adopts and take decisions necessary to promote the effective implementation of the Convention, including institutional and administrative arrangements.
The COP meets every year, unless the Parties decide otherwise. The first COP meeting was held in Berlin, Germany, in 1995.