Gendered Youth, Green Transitions, and Sustainable Peace

Aug 17, 2023 | Marisa O. Ensor

International Youth Day is marked annually on 12 August. This year’s theme – “Green Skills for Youth: Towards a Sustainable World” – recognizes the vital roles that young women and young men can play in promoting an environmentally sustainable, peaceful, and climate friendly world if provided with the right opportunities. Nevertheless, an estimated 60 percent of young people globally will lack the skills necessary to thrive in the green economy in 2030, if current trends prevail.  Close to 90 percent of the world’s 1.8 billion youth live in developing or conflict-affected countries where climate change acts as a threat multiplier that hinders peace and sustainable development. Young people from across the world have, on the other hand, demonstrated a great sense of awareness and a willingness to actively engage in finding solutions to these interelated challenges.Gendered Youth and the Green TransitionThe shift toward an environmentally sustainable and climate-friendly world is critical not only for responding to the global climate crisis but also for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A successful transition toward a greener world will depend on the development of green skills – i.e., the “knowledge, abilities, values and attitudes needed to live in, develop and support a sustainable and resource-efficient society …”, and to undertake the green jobs of the future.According to the International Labor Organization, 100 million jobs can be created by transitioning to sustainable energy sources and promoting a circular economy.  Accessing these jobs requires acquiring green skills; this can be both challenging and highly gendered. As the World Bank notes, women remain underrepresented in high potential climate-friendly sectors. Inequitable gender dynamics and occupational gender stereotypes and biases in training and occupations must be corrected. Since green jobs are more likely to be created in traditionally male-dominated fields, women and girls are at risk of being excluded.Although green competencies are relevant for people of all ages (and genders), they are of greater importance for younger people, who will be affected by, and can contribute to the green transition over a longer period of time. To support the development of green skills and youth engagement in climate change processes, the UN Climate Change Secretariat established youth as a key pillar of the Action for Climate Empowerment Hub and program, which was launched in 2022.  “Action for Climate Empowerment” (ACE) is a term adopted by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change to denote work under Article 6 of the Convention and Article 12 of the Paris Agreement. Related initiatives are the ACE Action Plan, which has capacity-building for youth at its core, and the Glasgow Work Programme for ACE, which outlines specific measures for the Secretariat and Parties to enhance young people’s capacities as leaders of change. Both documents explicitly address gender considerations. Bridging the NexusUnderstandings of the nexus between young people, climate change, and peace have advanced significantly in the last decade. While still prevalent in certain circles because of their advocacy and fundraising value, narratives emphasizing vulnerability and risk are being replaced with portrayals of youth as proactive agents in tackling multiple drivers of insecurity.  One policy framework that most strongly acknowledges this link is the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, where youth are mentioned in ten areas. As an illustrative example, youth, together with “women” and “local and marginalized communities”, are specifically mentioned as important to building capacity and to plan for and manage climate change in Goal 13.b.  While the Paris Agreement does not explicitly mention youth, it does refer to intergenerational equity.Young people’s participation in Climate Change Conferences of the Parties (COPs) has also started to become more institutionalized since COP10, held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, when young people came together as an “organized caucus” for the first time.  Since COP11, held in Montreal, Canada, young people constituencies (officially YOUNGO) have organized  Conferences of Youth (COY) ahead of the COPs. Most recently, at COP27, youth was mentioned 11 times in the Sharm el-Sheikh Implementation Plan. This was also the first time that a COP appointed a Youth Envoy.International youth peace coalitions like the Global Coalition on Youth, Peace and Security and the United Network of Young Peacebuilders are pushing to strengthen youth participation in peacebuilding policy and practice. The Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth was established in 2013 when Ahmad Alhendawi of Jordan was appointed as the first holder of the mandate.  The mandate of the UN Envoy on Youth builds off the Youth 2030 framework and focuses on three main pillars for action: 1) Increasing youth participation in the Inter-Governmental Space; 2) Realizing the potential of young people within the UN system; and 3) Engagement and mobilization of young people.  The current mandate holder is Jayathma Wickramanayake of Sri Lanka, appointed by the UN Secretary-General in 2017.  In a recent event on Youth, Peace and Climate Action convened by the International Peace Institute (IPI), Ms. Wickramanayake addressed the need to break down silos when she noted that “youth, peace and climate are very much interlinked”, pointing out that “young people are disproportionately affected by both conflict and by climate action.” The Way ForwardThe Youth2030: Progress Report 2023 illustrates pathways forward for the international community, including the UN system and national governments, to work together in advancing global commitments for and with youth.  It outlines possible solutions to address the gaps and risks that have emerged since 2015, calling for a Summit of the Future that will be held in 2024. Our Common Agenda – the UN Secretary-General's vision for the future of global cooperation – also calls for a renewal of solidarity, particularly with younger generations.Only 7 short years remain for the world to make the Sustainable Development Goals a reality by 2030. The triple planetary crisis of biodiversity loss, climate change, and pollution together with other global challenges such as conflict, the Covid-19 pandemic, the learning crisis, and surging unemployment, have severely hindered development efforts and exacerbated inequalities across the globe. There are 1.8 billion young women and men around the world who will bear the brunt of the burden if we fail to make progress towards building a better future. There is both urgency and an unprecedented opportunity to tackle these challenges during this pivotal mid-point.International Youth Day is a reminder not to relent on our efforts but intensify actions to seek effective solutions to our common global challenges that will affect young people the most. This momentum should be accelerated; we have to act, urgently, to fast-track changes that add up to better lives for people of all ages and genders, and a healthier planet while the window of opportunity is still open. Dr. Marisa O. Ensor is an applied environmental and legal anthropologist currently based at the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS) where she leads the portfolio on climate security.  She is also the current Chair of the Environmental Peacebuilding Association’s Gender Interest Group (“EnPAx-GIG”).