Held under the theme: Shaping Financial Climate Resilience for Child and Youth-led Adaptation and Mitigation. The three-day conference was attended by over 350 youths drawn from across various Southern African countries to participate in SADC’s first Regional Conference of Youth held from 24-26 September in Lusaka, Zambia. Namibia observed two youth representatives Ms. Elizabeth Mughongora from Youth4CAN and Mr. Willem Veiko from Namibia Youth Chamber of Environment who joined other youth delegates, to deliberate on southern Africa’s climate change challenges and consolidate ways to tackle the challenges centred around responding to needs of children and youth of SADC member states. The event aimed to amplify youth voices in climate action and strengthen collaboration across the region, focusing on sustainable strategies for addressing climate change challenges.
The conference featured special presentations within the climate space and included breakout sessions, each addressing a critical aspect of climate change. One of the parallel sessions focused on Adaptation and Resilience, facilitated by Reekelitsoe Alice Molapo, with rapporteur Elizabeth Mughongora. Discussions revolved around funding mechanisms and strategies to help communities adapt to climate change, emphasizing investments in youth innovation, infrastructure, and National Adaptation Plans. Other breakout rooms covered topics such as Climate Finance Markets and Green Jobs, which included financial instruments like carbon trading and green bonds; Youth and Child Sensitive Climate Policies, focusing on the urgent need for youth and child-sensitive climate policies, particularly in the context of NDCs; Loss and Damage, which explored compensation for climate impacts that cannot be avoided; Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency; and Climate-Induced Migration. Each session addressed specific challenges faced by Southern Africans and proposed solutions to advance policy and action.
Beyond the formal sessions, the conference fostered collaborative relationships between youth-led organizations, academic institutions, and private sector players, driving forward a shared commitment to climate action. A highlight was the Youth Innovation Pitch Event, where eight outstanding youth-driven projects were showcased to potential donors, including influential organizations like UN Zambia, COMESA, and WWF. These projects presented practical solutions aimed at addressing climate challenges, with several securing funding commitments. The event concluded with the establishment of the Southern Africa Regional Climate Change Youth Task Force, designed to lead youth-driven climate action across the region. Additionally, the creation of the Youth Climate Declaration (to be published soon), presented in English, French, and Portuguese, highlighted youth priorities for climate policy and will contribute to the Global Youth Statement at COP29.
The success of RCOY 2024 was not achieved by chance; it was the result of months of careful concerted planning, effort and collaboration of partners like Agents of Change Foundation Zambia, YUNA Zambia, CCCA-Zambia, Youth4CAN and other organizations, with the dedication of volunteers, youth leaders, and private sector partners.
