Seychelles youth for climate delegates organise three-day hybrid local conference |24 August 2021
Two Youth4Climate: Driving Ambition (Y4C) delegates, Victoria Alis and Jeremy Raguain, with the primary support of the department of climate change and energy, the Ministry of Education and the British High Commission (BHC), are organising a three-day local conference of youth event.
The local conference of youth (LCOY), an official YOUNGO (the official youth constituency at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) registered event will take place on August 26, 27 and 28. Young people aged 13-35 years old in Seychelles are invited to take part to better inform themselves and discuss the various developments, challenges and solutions associated with the climate crisis.
The purpose of the event is to create a space for youth, not only to be updated, but also, consulted on the climate crisis, so that the Y4C delegates can better represent Seychelles at the Pre-Conference of Parties (Pre-COP) event which will take place from September 30 to October 2, before the Y4C event, which is scheduled for September 28-30. The Pre-COP, which aims to provide a selected group of countries with an informal setting to discuss and exchange views on key political aspects of the negotiations and offer political guidance for subsequent negotiations, will be a chance for young people to have a voice. With the Seychelles LCOY event, Seychellois youth can contribute to a discussion which will be picked up at Pre-COP and the Conference of the Parties (COP26), which will take place in Glasgow from October 31 to November 12.
With the ongoing implications caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the LCOY will be a hybrid event, taking place both in-person and virtually. The British High Commision will provide the physical location for the LCOY at the high commissioner's residence, and will cater for up to 20 participants in line with a strict set of Public Health Authority-approved standard operating procedures (SOPs) in place. Virtual participants will be able to stream the conference live and ask questions via Zoom. The Ministry of Education will also provide a shared space for students to follow the LCOY event.
The event will run from 8am to 4pm over the course of the three days. Participants will have a chance to hear from both public and private stakeholders involved in climate change. Experts and practitioners ‒ there will be at least 23 speakers, some of whom will also be young people ‒ will present their work and share their views through panel discussions covering climate change-related areas on careers and opportunities in climate change, adaptation and resilience, nature-based solutions, climate finance, civil society engagement, food production and security, entrepreneurship, sports, arts, education, awareness-raising and the use of media.
Some key expected highlights from the LCOY include: the sharing of information and perspectives on Seychelles’ recently submitted second Nationally Determined Contributions (Seychelles’ efforts to reduce national emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change) and the country’s updated climate change scenario (latest predictions on the effects of climate change on Seychelles’ weather patterns: rainfall and temperature).
Sharing her thoughts on the LCOY and Seychelles’ challenges in facing the climate crisis, principal secretary for climate change and energy, Rebecca Loustau Lalanne, remarked that “the LCOY is a great way to engage the youth of Seychelles with the issues of climate change. Young people are not only victims of climate change, but they contribute to climate actions as agents of change, entrepreneurs and innovators. Whether through education, science or technology, young people are scaling up their efforts to accelerate climate action. Seychelles takes note of the new IPCC report of climate change that was recently released and the science has never been any clearer. Young people of this generation must now step up and join the race to speed up efforts to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions to combat the effects of climate change.”
Commenting on the urgency of the climate crisis ‒ and the need to support climate action-related initiatives ‒ deputy British High Commissioner, Mathew Harper, said “the release of the IPCC report last week was a wake-up call to the world. Time is running out to take action on climate change and we must act, and act now. The UK’s presidency of COP26 will focus on protecting the most vulnerable from the worst of the effects on lives, livelihoods and natural habitats. This includes small islands developing states ‒ such as the Seychelles – who are among the least responsible for the effects of climate change, and yet are the most vulnerable to its impacts. In the build-up to COP26 in Glasgow, the British high commission is delighted to be able to amplify the efforts of two active and engaged young Seychellois climate activists, and the many young people who – virtually – stand alongside them.”
Commenting on the progress in the lead up to Seychelles’ LCOY, Ms Alis said: “This event will not only allow us to inform young Seychellois on the existing and predicted climate change challenges and impacts ‒ as well as key climate actions and tools ‒ but will also be an opportunity for them to engage and question officials and experts involved in climate change-affiliated work. The LCOY will be a way to consult and engage with young Seychellois on key topics addressed at the Y4C event in September ‒ an exercise made possible thanks to all our partners and expert guest speakers.”
Adding on, Mr Raguain stated: “We are truly grateful for the support received from MACCE (Ministry of Agriculture, Climate Change and Environment), the Ministry of Education and the British high commission ‒ as well as various speakers from across Seychelles ‒ for the commitment they have already shown in helping to organise this LCOY. This conference will help youth come to grips with the implications the climate crisis has for their future, and give them the tools to do something about it. I hope many young people can attend and make their views known.”
With the LCOY aiming to reach 150 young people ‒ with a maximum of 60 people being able to attend physically and at least 90 virtually spread over the three days ‒ organisers are recommending that participants sign up as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
The closing date to register for virtual registrations is today, Tuesday August 24.
Joint press release Y4C-MACCE-BHC