COY16
The 16th UN Climate Change Conference of Youth
Hello there! Another month, another newsletter!
Welcome to April’s issue of the COY16 Newsletter!
Each month, we will deliver this bulletin filled with information and insight on the organisation of COY16, our progress, and how you and others can help!
About COY16
COY16 is the 16th United Nations Climate Change Conference of Youth.
Our Conference is organised by young people from all over the world. We are divided in 7 different Working Groups, and one overall Coordination Committee which has representatives from each Working Group in it. We are also joined by our implementing organizations: UKYCC, XR Youth, UK Youth for Nature, UKSCN, FFF Scotland, UNMGCY and YOUNGO that continue to accompany us and strengthen the efforts put forth by our organization.
New Month, New Website
We tasked a selected group of designers and editors with the project of designing, creating and publishing the Official Website for the Conferece, home of information, volunteers profiles, forms, blogs and COY’s history.
The Website Team took up on this task head on and exceeded all expectations from volunteers and coordinators, that is why we want to share this COY jewel with you. Pay us a visit and check out all of our beautifully curated pages, filled with love and care from our Website Team, to you.
Preregistration is now open!
Preregistration for COY is now open! But what does this mean? Pre-registration is a process created to scout the interest of the global youth to take part in the Conference. The preregistration form is composed of different sets of questions regarding interest, funding, dietary restrictions and more. By submitting this form, individuals not only demonstrate their commitment to the Conference, but what needs to be taken into consideration when making logistical and economical decisions.
This is why we encourage you to fill our preregistration form!
Interested in running a session?
We are looking for people interested in running a sesion at COY16. The Programme Working Group created a thorought Expression of Interest form for those interested in speaking at COY and/or letting us know what they would like to see at the Conference. We are taking submissions for implementing and running workshops, facilitating keynote interventions, seminars, training sessions, debates, team building sessions, art/creativity sessions, and/or social gatherings.
Have other ideas for activities? They are welcome as long as they are aligned with the COY16 vision and are intended to create positive change for the youth attending the Conference and climate change around the world.
Working Groups Updates
As a Conference made by and for the youth of today, COY is made up of a diverse variety of essential Working Groups. These are divided into 7 Working Groups (WGs) in combination with one central Coordination Committee. COY16 volunteers work tirelessly on a daily basis to continuously raise the bar and build a Conference that both current and future generations can take pride in.
Global Affairs
The Global Affairs Unit has launched their Pre-registration form across the world, which received 749 responses within the first 24 hours and over 2,000 in the following two weeks.
They have also begun local coordination efforts by emailing Universities and youth Organisations across the world to encourage collaboration, and together create a national Youth Statement for each country in COY16. To help the Universities and Organisations, the Global Affairs Unit has developed a Toolkit aiming to guide the crafting of the partner’s official statement/demands/positions on the climate crisis; it is available in English, Russian, Spanish, French and Arabic. This is the first step towards creating the Conference Youth Statement, being done in this way to be as inclusive as possible.
Finance
Finance has been working together with Communications and Outreach for the overall Crowdfunding Campaign through donations on the COY16 website, contacting organizations to get financial support, applying for funding, gathering sponsors and creating media. Thus far, they have contacted more than 30 Companies that align with our principles for financial support and they have also established regional funding guidelines.
Volunteer Coordination
This Working Group aims to support all COY16 volunteers. They have been holding induction calls, sorting out the organising process and running virtual socials. They are currently focused on recruiting UK volunteers for essential roles for the COY16 organizing team. If you are from the UK or are UK based and interested in taking part in COY, take a look at our coordination vacancies available. Some positions are open for international volunteers as well.
Volunteer Coordination has also been addressing the participation of COY16 volunteers onsite and has been working with the GDPR and related-data protection issues. If you want to know more about this Working Group and the Conference in general, join the “Whole Team Call” on the Saturday 1st of May, at 11 AM GMT!
Logistics
This Working Group has been contacting several possible venues and accommodation spaces to find the best option for our Conference. This Working Group is also looking for volunteers based in Scotland’s Central Belt area to sign up for the new Human Hotel Platform initiated by the COP26 Civil Society Coalition and become hosts for attendees of COY16, and for COP26 related events.
Programme
Programmes has been gathering submissions for the COY16 Programme and have now opened the “Expression of Interest Form” for those who want to be a part of the Conference Programme. These submissions may range from implementing and running a workshop, facilitating keynote interventions, seminars, training sessions, debates, team building sessions, art/creativity sessions, and/or social gatherings. Any other activities are welcome as long as they are aligned with the outlined COY16 goals, if they are to the benefit of the youth attending COY16 and if they serve towards a positive impact for climate action. Submissions will be accepted until the 30th of June, for any questions .
Communications and Outreach
Comms and Outreach has been contacting different organizations and activists, setting up a journalism team to give a voice to important climate change related stories and creating Social Media content. As well as collaborating with other working groups such as Finance on crowdfunding and sponsorships, and Logistics and Programmes on contacting potential colaborators.
Access and Inclusivity
This working group has been expanding our policies, working mostly on a final draft of the Safer Spaces Policy Document. This document will help ensure that everyone feels safe and welcome during the event itself, as well as during it’s organization. Given the state of the world, this Working Group is particularly invested in making sure that the policy covers both online and offline environments and protects all of its attendees.
Earth Day
On April 22nd, we celebrated our Earth across our social media platforms with some ideas and tips on how to live a more sustainable life and today, in this Newsletter, we wanted to also share the international climate commitments that were made during this momentous week.
From the Philippine, to Malaysia, to Japan, and Ireland down to Italy, Madagascar, and India, all the way over to New York, Puerto Rico, and Costa Rica, youth all over the world stepped up, celebrated and took action on Earth Day 2021. From bringing their communities together for local climate activism and restoration, to virtual climate events and action, to encouraging and protesting for their governments from a local to national to international level to create and strengthen their climate commitments, we at COY16 have seen the global youth come together once again to encourage a collective climate action and strive towards global climate justice.
These actions and the multitude of voices behind them, were echoed on an international stage during Earth Day 2021. During a two day Leaders’ Summit on Climate Change, hosted by United States’ President Biden, over 40 world leaders from across the globe came together on April 22nd and 23rd to stregthen their international and domestic commitments to the fight for global climate justice and taking actions to fight climate change.
Let’s celebrate Earth Day everyday! Take look at some tips and ideas on how to live a more sustainable life:
Blog of the Month
By John Michael Anzilotti
Edited by Julieta Marino Tartaglino
On April 22nd and 23rd, the United States hosted a two day “Leaders’ Summit on Climate Change” with the intent to “underscore the urgency – and the economic benefits – of stronger climate action” and “a key milestone on the road to the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) this November in Glasgow”. In his opening remarks United States President Biden, highlighted that the United States represents less than 15% of the world’s emissions and that “no nation can solve this crisis on our own. All of us, and particularly those of us who represent the world’s largest economies, we have to step up”.
This statement kicked off a Summit in which world leaders, including the United States, offered steps to address the crises. Notable examples include Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stating the nation would reduce carbon pollution by 40% to 45% by 2030, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga vowing to reduce emissions 46% below 2013 levels, and President Biden promising a 50-52% reduction in U.S. greenhouse emissions from 2005 levels by 2030. While China’s Xi Jinping did not offer a new climate target, he did state that “China has committed to move from carbon peak to carbon neutrality in a much shorter timespan than what might take many developed countries, and that requires extraordinarily hard efforts from china” with “peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and carbon neutrality before 2060”. From the United Nations, Secretary-General, António Guterres, urged leaders across the globe to make strides in climate action, stating that “Mother Nature is not waiting. We need a green planet – but the world is on red alert”.
UN Climate Change Executive Secretary, Patricia Espinosa noted “This Summit, hosted by U.S. President Biden, which brought together more than 40 nations representing 80% of global emissions, is an encouraging and positive step in the right direction. We congratulate the commitments shown by several nations at the summit and I urge all nations to carry forth this leadership and momentum to the crucial COP26 negotiations scheduled for this November in Glasgow.”
Ultimately Secretary-General Guterres called for the international community to make a “decade of transformation”. And, in the spirit of COY16, and continuing the global youth climate effort “Young people are pushing their elders to do what is right”.
Read more or submit your story here.
This incredible team is currently looking for
Scottish and UK based volunteers!
We need people experienced in logistical work, finance
within the UK and Scotland, and more.
(International positions are also open)
If you are based in the UK or Scotland and interested in helping out,
please click here or us.
Thank you for reading this month’s COY16 newsletter!
From COY16 to you,
The Organizing Team and Communications and Outreach
