An interactive discussion on children’s access to climate justice | Online side event to COP-26

 

4 November 2021 

12:00 - 13:30 GMT

Children and young people have been at the forefront of climate justice activism, from protesting to pressuring their governments to tackle climate change to bringing legal challenges against those who have polluted the environment. This isn’t just a question of protecting a planet they will inherit, but fighting for their human rights today. It is, for many young campaigners, a question of accountability and justice.

COP 26 took place between 31 October and 12 November 2021 in Glasgow, Scotland. COP is a worldwide political initiative aiming to address the global scale of the climate crisis, but it tackles only part of the change that will be necessary to avoid an environmental catastrophe. There is a limited focus on children and young people, their human rights, and climate justice throughout. Our webinar focused on this.

The webinar

The threat posed by the climate crisis is too big for any individual, organisation or sector to address, so we need to think about what is in the power of different actors and how our efforts fit together. Child Rights International Network (CRIN), the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland and the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child organised an interactive discussion that presented a justice-focused response to COP-26. The webinar addressed children’s human rights within the broader picture of what it will take to tackle the climate crisis and recognised the role of children and young people’s leadership in the fight for climate justice. 

Speakers focused on the different avenues children and young people are taking to pursue climate justice, highlighting different ways and means for campaigning, for engaging in policy-making processes at the local, national and international levels, and when going to court. 

Speakers

This webinar was co-chaired by Mr. Bruce Adamson, the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland, and one of his Young Advisers. Speakers addressed the following topics:

  • International and national children’s rights bodies and climate justice

    • Ms. Mikiko Otani, Chair, United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child

    • Climate Changemakers: Members of Children's Parliament, Scotland

  • Children and young people’s protest rights and environmental campaigning

    • Mr. Clément Voule, UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and Association 

    • Jerónimo Zarco Martínez, CRIN Climate Advisor from Mexico

  • Environmental litigation by children and young people

    • Yujin Kim, CRIN Climate Advisor from South Korea

Details

The webinar lasted up to 90 minutes and aimed to be interactive, with interventions and questions from the audience. The event was in English with French, Spanish and BSL (British Sign Language) interpretation provided. We shared a Padlet for participants to contribute to the discussions before and after - so we could all learn from each other, strengthen our work and increase collaboration.

Also, below is the illustration made by Raphael Achache for Hawk and Mouse, which captured the wonderful discussions and questions.