MENA Youth Voices on Climate Change

As regional leaders from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) prepare to attend COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, young scholars, journalists, and community leaders are hoping to make their voice heard about the host of pressing climate challenges facing their countries and communities.

Among the issues raised by youth activists in MENA are the insufficient action on fossil fuel phase-out, conflict-induced ecocides in countries such as Palestine, Sudan and Yemen, and vulnerable biodiversity. Youth activists have also criticized the COP’s inaccessibility, being hosted at expensive destinations and with little financial support available for underprivileged participants. Therefore, despite the increased involvement from youth activists and marginalized communities in negotiations and side events, the perspective of these groups is not included in COP’s final decisions, raising concerns about tokenization of youth voices.

Despite this enduring challenge, the youth in the MENA region have served as a consistent voice of conscience, reminding political and business leaders of their responsibility to place public good before private interests to safeguard future generations.

To discuss the role of youth in confronting climate change in MENA, the Middle East Council on Global Affairs and the Arab Reform Initiative convened a group of young leaders from the region. Our speakers highlighted the unique youth perspective(s) on the climate crisis, how regional leaders can do more to involve young stakeholders more effectively when confronting environmental challenges, and how the region’s youth can increase their impact on key climate issues.