Latin American And Caribbean Youth Issue Strong Declaration On The Environment

Young people across Latin America and the Caribbean have released a powerful regional declaration calling for urgent, inclusive, and justice-driven action to confront the escalating environmental and climate crisis. The Youth Declaration on the Environment of Latin America and the Caribbean reflects the voices of adolescents and young adults from 18 countries, gathered through extensive consultations and an in-person meeting organized under the Latin America & Caribbean Youth Environment Forum (LACYEF) LAC Youth Statement (English).

Rooted in the lived realities of the region’s diverse youth—including Indigenous communities, Afro-descendants, migrants, persons with disabilities, LGBTQIA+ young people, and those from both rural and urban settings—the declaration highlights the urgency of a crisis that is already reshaping ecosystems, livelihoods, and public health across the continent LAC Youth Statement (English).

A Collective Effort Representing the Region’s Diversity

The consultation process was convened by the Children and Youth Major Group to UNEP (CYMG), the United Nations Environment Programme’s official youth engagement mechanism, representing over 1,800 organizations and 12,000 individual members worldwide. The final declaration captures and systematizes 362 contributions gathered through dialogue spaces and collaborative reflection across the region LAC Youth Statement (English).

Participants emphasized that Latin America and the Caribbean, despite their immense natural and cultural wealth, remain among the regions most affected by environmental degradation, biodiversity loss, and the impacts of climate change. Yet they also stressed the invaluable role of ancestral knowledge, community resilience, and youth leadership in shaping sustainable solutions LAC Youth Statement (English).

Key Environmental Concerns Raised by Youth

The document outlines six major challenges that young people see as urgent priorities for action:

1. Widespread pollution of air, water, and soil driven by plastics, waste mismanagement, and urban emissions.

2. A deepening water crisis rooted in scarcity, contamination, and poor wastewater treatment.

3. Accelerated deforestation, biodiversity loss, and ecosystem destruction linked to extractive industries and agricultural expansion.

4. Ineffective waste management and slow progress toward circular economy models.

5. Intensifying climate impacts such as droughts, floods, and heatwaves that disproportionately harm vulnerable groups.

6. Weak environmental institutions and insufficient inclusion of youth in governance and decision-making processes.
   LAC Youth Statement (English)

Demands for Transformative Action

Youth from the region are calling for decisive steps from governments, international organizations, civil society, and the private sector. Their demands include:

• Universal and culturally relevant environmental education.

• Binding mechanisms that ensure youth participation and representation in policy decisions.

• Stronger public policies to regulate pollution, safeguard ecosystems, and deliver climate justice.

• A just transition toward renewable energy and sustainable mobility.

• Restoration and protection of critical ecosystems such as forests, wetlands, rivers, and marine environments.

• Transparent climate financing that reaches communities and youth organizations.

• Protection of vulnerable groups to ensure no one is left behind.
  LAC Youth Statement (English)

Youth Commitments to Lead Change

Beyond their demands, the young people of Latin America and the Caribbean also articulate their own commitments. They pledge to:

• Strengthen regional mobilization for collective climate solutions.

• Promote environmental education and climate action within their local communities.

• Advocate for social, environmental, and climate justice across all spheres of influence.
  LAC Youth Statement (English)

A Clear Call to Action

The declaration closes with a strong appeal: genuine and lasting environmental solutions cannot be achieved without the meaningful involvement of youth. Governments, institutions, and all sectors of society are urged to work side-by-side with young people to implement urgent, effective, and equitable responses to the climate and ecological crisis.

As the declaration states, the voice of youth is both present and future—there can be no sustainability or climate justice without them LAC Youth Statement (English).

Arab Youth Environmental Manifesto 2025: A Unified Call For A Just And Sustainable Future

As the world prepares for the seventh session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-7), young people from across the Arab region have come together to articulate a powerful and urgent vision for environmental justice. Through the Arab Youth Environment Forum, they developed and adopted the Arab Youth Environmental Manifesto 2025, a 19-point declaration that outlines both their aspirations and demands for a sustainable, equitable future. The manifesto reflects the lived experiences of youth across diverse contexts—many of whom face the compounded crises of climate change, conflict, and social inequality.

Below is an article-style presentation of the manifesto’s 19 distinct points, each preserved in its own clarity.

1. Affirming the Right to a Healthy Environment

Arab youth collectively assert that both current and future generations have the inherent right to live in a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment—an essential foundation for life and dignity.

2. Reaffirming Global Environmental Commitments

The manifesto reiterates youth support for the 2030 Agenda, global environmental conventions, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, and UNEA resolutions, while emphasizing the crucial role of young people in shaping sustainable development.

3. Centering Intergenerational Equity

Youth call on governments to embed intergenerational equity into all levels of policy and governance, ensuring that present-day decisions do not compromise the well-being of future generations.

4. Standing with Communities in Crisis

The manifesto expresses deep solidarity with communities affected by occupation, conflict, displacement, and instability. It stresses that environmental protection cannot be separated from the protection of human life and dignity.

5. Youth as Active Partners in Solutions

Rather than being seen merely as advocates, youth pledge to work alongside governments, UN bodies, academia, civil society, and the private sector to deliver practical solutions to the planet’s crises.

6. Inclusion of All Youth in Governance

The manifesto urges UNEA and Member States to formally recognize the centrality of youth voices and ensure meaningful participation, especially for marginalized groups and those in conflict-affected areas.

7. Demanding Transparency and Accountability

Youth call for open access to environmental data, clear accountability systems for governments and corporations, and structured involvement of youth and civil society in monitoring environmental commitments.

8. Addressing Unequal Climate Impacts

Recognizing that the Arab region faces disproportionate climate impacts despite low historical emissions, the manifesto demands an accelerated and just transition to renewable energy, supported by climate finance, technology transfer, and regional cooperation.

9. Confronting Water Scarcity

Water scarcity is highlighted as one of the region’s most pressing challenges. Youth call for sustainable water management, regional collaboration on shared water resources, and recognition of water as a fundamental human right.

10. Tackling Pollution and Waste Crises

The manifesto addresses the region’s pollution and waste challenges, including toxic chemicals, burning waste, and plastic pollution. Youth call for robust standards, sound chemical management, and a fair global treaty to end plastic pollution.

11. Protecting Ecosystems and Biodiversity

With ecosystems under increasing pressure from deforestation, degraded land, rapid urbanization, and unsustainable farming, youth urge immediate measures to protect biodiversity and restore damaged environments.

12. Advancing Circular Economies

Youth promote a shift toward circular economies that prioritize reuse, recycling, and waste reduction. They also welcome the Mottainai Youth Declaration and commit to driving zero-waste culture in the region.

13. Strengthening Environmental Education and Green Skills

The manifesto stresses the need to integrate environmental education at all levels, expand vocational green-skills training, support environmental journalism, and ensure accessible Arabic-language materials for communities.

14. Celebrating Culture and Arts in Environmental Action

Recognizing the power of music, literature, storytelling, and visual arts, the manifesto highlights the role of Arab culture in shaping environmental values and calls for greater support to young creators.

15. Empowering Youth in Local Governance

Youth urge municipalities and local administrations to involve them in environmental initiatives, community campaigns, and participatory programs that build local-level resilience and awareness.

16. Linking Environment, Humanitarian Response, and Peacebuilding

The manifesto underscores the environmental dimensions of humanitarian crises, calling for environmentally sound reconstruction, ecosystem restoration, decontamination in conflict areas, and justice for displaced populations.

17. Expanding Youth-Led Innovation and Finance

To unlock local solutions, youth demand increased access to sustainable finance, small grants, and direct investment in youth-led innovations, especially in fragile contexts where traditional donor support is limited.

18. Strengthening Regional Solidarity and Youth Leadership

Arab youth pledge to strengthen cross-border collaboration, exchange knowledge, and support one another in leading environmental action grounded in creativity, perseverance, and courage.

19. Commitment to a Livable, Just Future for All

The manifesto closes with a powerful commitment to continue innovating, advocating, and implementing solutions that secure a fair, sustainable, and livable world for every person.

Conclusion

The Arab Youth Environmental Manifesto 2025 stands as a unified, determined, and solutions-driven declaration from a generation that refuses to be passive in the face of global and regional crises. Each of the 19 points reflects not only the urgency of environmental action but also the resilience, creativity, and leadership of Arab youth. As UNEA-7 approaches, their message is clear: youth are ready to lead—what is needed now is recognition, partnership, and decisive action from the world.

The Mottainai Youth Declaration On Zero Waste & Circularity: A Global Call For Action

The global waste crisis continues to escalate, placing disproportionate burdens on vulnerable communities around the world—including infants, children, women, the elderly, persons with disabilities, informal workers, and displaced populations. This reality forms the foundation of the Mottainai Youth Declaration on Zero Waste and Circularity, developed by the Children and Youth Major Group (CYMG) to UNEP, representing voices of young people from all regions of the world Mottainai Youth Declaration on ….

Rooted in the Japanese principle Mottainai, which expresses regret over wastefulness, the declaration outlines bold youth commitments and strong calls to action aimed at accelerating the global transition to just and circular waste systems.

A Youth-Led Vision for a Zero Waste Future

The declaration is the outcome of extensive global youth consultations and reflections captured during Youth Day at the UNEP IETC Global Dialogue on Circular Economy Model of Waste Management, held on 19 February 2025 in Osaka, Japan Mottainai Youth Declaration on ….

It emphasizes that although progress has been made in waste policies and legislation, serious gaps remain—especially in awareness, implementation, financing, and cross-sectoral integration. Gender equality is highlighted as a critical component of this transition, noting that women and girls in the informal waste sector often face unsafe conditions, economic disparities, and discrimination Mottainai Youth Declaration on ….

Youth Commitments to Zero Waste Values

Young people around the world have expressed clear commitments across four major pillars:

1. Lifestyle: Responsible Consumption and Production

Youth pledge to:

• Understand local waste systems, including the role of informal workers.

• Adopt responsible consumption practices that minimize single-use items.

• Promote lifecycle thinking in production and consumption.

• Raise awareness through digital platforms, clean-up drives, and community engagement Mottainai Youth Declaration on ….

2. Waste Justice: Systems and Services

Young people commit to:

• Advocate against injustices in waste management, including displacement and criminalization of environmental defenders.

• Build capacity, utilize technology, and share information to address pollution.

• Support informal waste workers through fair compensation, dignity, and recognition Mottainai Youth Declaration on ….

3. Championing Circularity in Policies and Programs

Youth are prepared to:

• Foster youth-led innovations in waste management.

• Engage in policy advocacy to push governments toward circularity.

• Translate scientific evidence into accessible resources for communities.

• Build global alliances based on shared knowledge and scientific rationale Mottainai Youth Declaration on ….

4. Local and Global Collaboration

Young people commit to:

• Shape zero waste policies within institutions and government systems.

• Share best practices across borders.

• Use International Zero Waste Day (March 30) to drive awareness campaigns.

• Collaborate on policy input and research, ensuring youth perspectives are included in decision-making platforms Mottainai Youth Declaration on ….

Calls to Action: What Youth Expect from Governments, Businesses & Society

The declaration outlines urgent demands directed at governments, international organizations, private sector actors, and communities:

1. Embed intergenerational equity in all circular economy and waste management policies.

2. Allocate decision-making space for youth at all governance levels.

3. Strengthen legislation to reduce single-use waste, promote green jobs, protect communities, and uphold justice.

4. Implement robust monitoring systems to ensure transparency and accountability.

5. Protect marginalized communities—including children, women, elderly people, migrants, and informal workers—from pollution impacts.

6. Promote proper waste sorting to enable recycling and reuse.

7. Eliminate illegal child labor and gender-based violence in the waste sector.

8. Integrate public health concerns into waste management policy.

9. Recognize and protect informal waste workers, including guaranteeing fair wages and safeguarding women in the sector.

10. Include youth in Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) policy monitoring and evaluation.

11. Create inclusive public–private partnerships that support youth-led green initiatives.

12. Ensure transparent consumer information on product lifecycles.

13. Integrate youth contributions into the work of the UN Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Zero Waste Mottainai Youth Declaration on ….

Conclusion

The Mottainai Youth Declaration is a powerful statement of unity, urgency, and determination. It underscores that waste is not merely an environmental issue—but a social justice, public health, economic, and governance challenge that demands bold and inclusive action.

Youth are ready to lead. What remains is for institutions, governments, and private sector actors to recognize them as essential partners in building a regenerative, circular, and zero-waste world.

European Children & Youth Environment Manifesto 2025: Voices From 56 Countries Unite For Environmental Action

The European Children & Youth Environment Manifesto 2025 brings together the voices of children and youth from 56 countries across Western and Eastern Europe. These consultations were held virtually under the Children and Youth Major Group to UNEP (CYMG), in collaboration with the UNEP Civil Society Unit (CSU) and the European Regional Facilitators of the Major Group Facilitating Committee (MGFC).

Through this process, young people reaffirmed their commitments under the UN 2030 Agenda, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, the 2024 Global Youth Environmental Declaration, and past UNEA resolutions. The manifesto emphasizes the irreplaceable role of children and youth in shaping a just and sustainable future.

Below is a clear and faithful presentation of their demands.

1. Urgent and Ambitious Climate Action

Children and youth express deep concern about the insufficient progress in limiting global warming to 1.5°C. They call for:

• Unprecedented political will at national, regional, and international levels.

• Legally binding instruments to address the Triple Planetary Crisis.

• A stronger UNEP Medium-term Strategy (2026–2029) focusing on CO₂ and methane emission reductions.

• Recognition of diverse knowledge systems and the One Health approach.

• Meaningful youth contributions to climate planning and implementation.

• Attention to major emission sectors, including animal agriculture.

2. Transformation Toward Sustainable Food Systems

The youth demand a shift from intensive commercial farming toward resilient, equitable, and sustainable food systems. This includes:

• Ensuring healthy, affordable, and just food for all.

• Reducing reliance on harmful fertilizers, pesticides, and concentrated animal feed.

• Integrating regenerative agriculture into climate strategies.

• Introducing “plant-based schools,” zero-waste programs, and climate-resilient agricultural education.

• Training and financial support for youth innovation, agri-tech, green labs, and practical food sovereignty skills.

3. A Strong Global Treaty to End Plastic Pollution

Children and youth affirm their right to a toxin-free and plastic-free environment and call for:

• A comprehensive and legally binding Global Plastics Treaty.

• Active and meaningful child and youth participation in negotiations and implementation.

• Integration of Indigenous knowledge and gender-responsive approaches.

• Legal recognition of the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment.

• Strong regulatory frameworks addressing harmful chemicals, pollutants, and corporate responsibility.

4. A Just Transition to a Circular and Green Economy

The manifesto demands an equitable and gender-balanced shift to a circular economy that supports:

• Sustainable production and consumption.

• Local innovation and youth-led entrepreneurship.

• Pollution reduction in high-impact sectors such as textiles, electronics, and tourism.

• Accessible hubs, training centers, and resources for scaling youth-driven solutions.

5. Protection of Oceans and Water Resources

Recognizing the ocean as key to survival, food security, and cultural identity—especially for coastal and island states—youth call for:

• Full and equitable youth participation in ocean governance.

• Stronger conservation of marine ecosystems.

• Implementation of the BBNJ Agreement.

• Enforcement of Regional Seas Action Plans.

• Youth co-leadership in the sustainable blue economy.

6. Inclusive Protection of Marginalized Communities

A just transition must uplift vulnerable groups. The manifesto highlights the need to include:

• Children and young people,

• Women and girls,

• Gender-diverse individuals,

• LGBTQIA+ youth,

• Immigrant communities,

• People with disabilities,

• Indigenous Peoples,

• Religious minorities,

• People at risk of poverty.

Governments must dismantle systemic inequalities through capacity building, accessible climate and biodiversity education, and expanded access to green financing.

7. Recognition and Integration of Indigenous Knowledge

Indigenous children and youth are acknowledged as essential environmental stewards. Their Traditional Knowledge and rights must be:

• Recognized,

• Protected,

• Integrated into climate and biodiversity policies,

• Included in national and international environmental processes.

8. Integrating Ethics and Reforming Education Systems

Young people emphasize the importance of ethical, moral, faith-based, and scientific worldviews in environmental decision-making. Governments should:

• Embed climate literacy and sustainable living into all curricula.

• Support community-based green innovation.

• Promote sustainable design and lifestyle transitions.

9. Corporate Accountability and Anti-Greenwashing Laws

Youth demand:

• Full disclosure of environmental impacts throughout supply chains.

• Strict bans and penalties for greenwashing.

• Expanded extended producer responsibility frameworks—especially in textiles and electronics.

10. Meaningful Youth Engagement and Long-term Support

The manifesto strongly pushes for:

• Inclusive, accessible, and structured platforms for youth engagement.

• Long-term funding for youth-led environmental initiatives.

• Gender-balanced youth representation in national and international delegations—including UNEA-7.

• Transparent and fair selection processes (elections, standardized rubrics, nominations).

• Protection for women environmental human rights defenders.

Youth voices should be actively included—not tokenized.

11. Holistic and Synergistic Environmental Governance

The youth call for greater synergy across Multilateral Environmental Agreements and science-policy interfaces. They urge governments to adopt:

• A systems-thinking approach,

• Rights-based and gender-transformative strategies,

• Measures that protect the interests of future generations.

Our Commitment

Children and youth reaffirm their dedication to peace, justice, sustainability, and multilateralism. They welcome the International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion (July 2025), which clarifies the legal obligations of states to protect the climate system for current and future generations.

They call on environmental authorities to champion youth-led initiatives, strengthen regional solidarity, support South–South collaboration, and recognize children and youth as essential co-creators of environmental solutions.