On 9 September 2021, the British Council launched the Global Youth Letter on Climate Action, a call for action from young people globally, directly addressing the leaders attending COP26 – the 26th UN Climate Change Conference, in Glasgow, November 2021. The letter is the result of a large-scale research exercise (carried out between January and March 2021) between the British Council and not for profit social enterprise Catalyst in Communities, who used a mixed methodology approach to garner the views, experiences and aspirations of 8,000 young people across 23 countries.
The British Council is also partnering with YOUNGO, the UN’s official Children and Youth constituency to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Insights from the Global Youth Letter, as well as the additional voices from 8,000 Rising will contribute to YOUNGO’s Youth Statement, to be formulated at the UN’s 16th Conference of Youth (COY16), held from 28 October 2021. The British Council will support COY16 through capacity exchange and sponsorship, and the conference outputs will be presented at COP26 in Glasgow, as part of Youth Empowerment Day on 5 November.
Young people are at the centre of collaborative approach, as we support them to raise their voices, and gain the skills and networks to participate in meaningful dialogue and bring about real change for our planet.
We hope the letter and the report inspire you to add your voice to 8,000 Rising.