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November 2021 Glasgow, UK
Out of the benevolence of Tomorrow Foundation, a grant agreement signed between the Foundation and Vielly Ghana Limited (also known as Curve Mobility) sponsored two youth delegates to represent Ghana at COP26 and COY16. Their names are Isaac Aboah and Nadia Owusu, both living in the Accra, capital of Ghana, and passionate about making a positive change in the world. With a significant amount of experience as youth speakers via JA and other organisations, climate leaders, and Isaac as a start-up founder of a mobility company trying to combat the rising issue of emissions, Tomorrow Foundation believed in Nadia and Isaac's shared mission and their capabilities as being magnificent representatives for the voice of the Ghanaian youth at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow on the 31st of October to the 12th of November 2021.
The voice of the youth
The future is in the hands of our young people, and therefore they need to be empowered. Tomorrow Foundation holds that as a key-value and is supporting the development of the leaders of tomorrow, and young climate leaders as Isaac and Nadia are no exception to this. With their attendance at COP26 and COY16 they have tried to push forward the voice of the youths together with thousands of other passionate youths globally who all fight for governments to take actions on policy level and to live up to the Paris Agreement. The presence of world leaders at the conference was high, but the words from former US President Barack Obama left a striking mark when he emphasized that time is running out for climate action and encouragingly addressed young climate activists with this message: “To all the young people out there - I want you to stay angry. I want you to stay frustrated. But channel that anger. Harness that frustration. Keep pushing harder and harder for more and more. Because that's what's required to meet that challenge. Gird yourself for a marathon, not a sprint."
Our Ghanaian youth delegates got a glimpse of hope for the future when they met several important political actors. When addressed regarding youth inclusion at policy-making levels, Dr. Akinwumi Adesinahe, President of the African Development Bank Group, responded that he rather preferred the youth as partners and collaborators in climate issues because the youth are the future. Nadia also had a bilateral meeting with the Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, Frans Timmermans, where he claimed that the EU will represent youth in their delegations and decision-making when asked how the EU intends to engage more youth at policymaking levels.
Events in COP26
“Building Tomorrow’s Cities: Sustainable Mobility and Intelligent Transportation”
Nadia co-designed and moderated a session at the Ghana Pavilion on “Building Tomorrow’s Cities: Sustainable Mobility and Intelligent Transportation.” This workshop had objectives to explore the innovations in mobility to plan for the future of sustainable and equitable transportation and the role of public-private collaborations. Together with Isaac Aboah and Vedant Kulkarni (India) as panel speakers, the conversation was steered around:
They explored the intersections of efficient, clean, and inclusive transport systems in two countries in the Global South; India, and Ghana, where Vedant Kulkari, a member of YOUNGO and climate activist, argued that mobility needs of people with disabilities must be factored into transport and city planning policies already from ideation phase and that this will benefit all users. Isaac Aboah also highlighted the vision behind his startup Curve Ride being to transform public transportation in Africa. He touched upon the inaccessibility of car ownership for most Africans and argued for the obvious opportunities of making green transitions into e-mobility alternatives away from ICE vehicles for new car owners.
Workshop: ‘The Youth and Sustainable Development in Africa’
Nadia and Isaac co-developed a workshop called ‘The Youth and Sustainable Development in Africa’ that focused on the issues of sustainable development faced by the youth in rural communities and current intervention trials. An important take-away from the discussion was, that young people had a lot to offer if given the platform. The panel noted that some of the key challenges hindering African youth organizations in realizing goals included limited access to capacity building, funding and grants, the skills gap, and systematic bureaucracy in securing partnerships or collaborations from reputable agencies to expand projects locally and regionally. Nadia and Isaac recommended an increased governmental focus on establishing skills hubs, and more flexible requirements for partnerships to accommodate youth startups or initiatives. Furthermore, they highlighted the benefits of intergenerational exchanges and mentorships to promote experiential learning to help close the widening skills gap.
“Protecting Climate Resolutions: A Call To Action For Youth Capacity Building”
Isaac moderated the session “Protecting Climate Resolutions: A Call to Action for Youth Capacity Building” while Nadia made her voice be heard in her capacity as a youth speaker in the intergenerational panel where she discussed how they could move climate change resolutions and negotiations from diplomatic conversations to result-oriented ambitions spearheaded by the youth, for instance through mainstream climate education through social media. The panel also explored approaches to youth capacity building at the grass-root levels and developing an army of youth experts in Climate Finance, sanctioning climate injustice, and encouraging youth leadership across the climate landscape.
“Climate change and health under the SDGs”
On youth day, at the World Health Organization (WHO) pavilion, Nadia attended an interactive workshop centered around the dreams they had a better future in a world where all social, ecological and economic crisis had vanished due to a global collective effort, and where youth demands had been implemented. According to Nadia, her world looked ”more green, with lots of biodiversity, advanced digital transformation, affordable and accessible internet for all, youth in green jobs, and circular economy.” She envisions developing a strategy and collaborating with youth leaders to make her world a reality.
THE RESOLUTIONS AND THE GLASGOW PACT
Thankfully, the actions taken at COP26 did after a long struggle result in nearly 200 countries signing the Glasgow Climate Pact that aims to accelerate climate action within this decade and also lead to the completion of the Paris Agreement rulebook and thereby kept the Paris targets alive, giving us a chance of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. All participating countries agreed to already in 2022 to have strengthened their current emission targets (NDCs) to 2030.
Personal pledges of change
A tremendous amount of change is obviously required for the new targets to be achieved, and amongst these changes, a significant one is the transition to greener transportation. This quest is one that Isaac Aboah has taken upon his shoulders together with his team of young engineers in his mobility startup Curve Ride that aims to solve the issue of emission-heavy shared public transportation in Africa by offering a green and safe solution that is as affordable as the Trotros in Accra, where Isaac will do his pilot project.
After COP26, Nadia also has a pledge on how she intends to move on from here, making small steps to save our planet. She is a huge believer of the potential of digital transformation as a major component to slow climate change, and she wants to promote climate education making use of digital tools, both in her community and across the continent. Furthermore, she aspires to create a youth catalyst group in order to monitor efforts of youth appreciation in achieving climate ambitions and ensuring the Glasgow Climate Pact reaches its full potential. Additionally, she commits to continuously taking sustainable initiatives together with other passionate youth leaders, activists, and organizations with a shared goal of fighting for a better tomorrow.
Nadia ends her reflection paper with a personal shout-out to the support she has received from our Foundation:
”Tomorrow Foundation is grooming the next crop of young leaders with partnerships and collaborations. With their support, I was able to experience my first COP and participate meaningfully and wholesomely. As I reflect back, I would like to thank them for their continued partnership and commitment to supporting youth leaders to make Africa economically independent and resilient.”
Tomorrow Foundation highly supports the vision of Nadia and Isaac on how the ideal sustainable Africa would look like in the years to come, an Africa with youth at the centre of leadership, and we will continue to support their journey to best realize this in the near future.
Reference Text and Further Reading:
United Nations:
For a livable climate: Net-zero commitments must be backed by credible action, Source: UNFCCC NDC synthesis report update (4 Nov 2021)
Youth Climate Action:
Climate Change Adaptation (2021)
Climate Change Mitigation (2021)
Capacity Building (2021)
Conference of Youth:
Global Youth Statement (November 2021)
LCOY Ghana:
National Youth Climate Statement (October 2021)
COP26:
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