The second Global Indigenous Youth Summit on Climate Change (GIYSCC) will be held 9 August 2024, circling the Earth across three 8-hour time zones in 24 hours  (00:00 GMT – 24:00 GMT) on the United Nations International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. An emphasis of GIYSCC 2024 will be on Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

There are more than 370 million Indigenous people in some 70 countries worldwide. Indigenous cultures and communities are precious intrinsically, but also as guides for all humanity with direct relevance for our sustainable development across generations on Earth. Since the 20th century, humanity has been learning to operate as a globally interconnected civilization, represented clearly by the “common concern of humankind” in our climate with its variability on a planetary scale across decades-to-centuries.

The Global Summit main objectives are:

• Providing a ‘one of a kind’ platform to accelerate global engagement with Indigenous youth communities, cultures, languages, ethnicities, countries and continents across the world;
• Sharing youth perspectives, approaches, observations, concerns, interests and strategies to address the local impacts of climate change across Indigenous communities on Earth;
• Stimulating lifelong learning among Indigenous youth to contribute with knowledge and skills in the evolution of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and related global agreements that have regular Conferences of the Parties;
• Enhancing intergenerational synergies in view of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and other Indigenous declarations;
• Inspiring Indigenous youth leaders to think short-to-long term across their lifetimes into the 22nd century to empower progress with sustainable development at local-to-global levels.

The breadth of challenges posed by climate change at local-to-global levels is a multilateral concern across the spectrum of subnational-national-international jurisdictions. At the same time, rapidly changing climatic conditions have increased levels of uncertainty and anxiety among the youth on Earth. Nonetheless, the unprecedented mobilization of youth around the world shows the massive power they possess as essential contributors to informed decisionmaking on planetary scale, which is symbolized by Earth’s climate. Youth and especially Indigenous youth have key roles to enhance multilateral cooperation on climate action, helping humanity to operate for the benefit of all on Earth across generations.

Learn more about the 2023 summit below.

Seira Duncan
Japan

Dr. Lahcen El-Youssfi
ENSCK Ibn Tofail University, Morocco; Sciences and Development Association
elyoussfilahcen@gmail.com

Dr. Lindani Ncube
Department of Environmental Sciences, University of South Africa (UNISA)
ncubel@unisa.ac.za; lindyncube@yahoo.co.uk

Ms. Tanyaradzwa A. Mawoyo
tanyamawoyo22@gmail.com

Colleen Charles
Northlands College
colleen.charles@usask.ca

Daniel Oluwatosin
danielloluwatosin@gmail.com

Michaela Stith
Native Movement
michaela@nativemovement.org

• Science Diplomacy Center™
• Springer Nature.
• International Network for Government Science Advice (INGSA) – Africa.
• University of Lagos (UNILAG).
• Nigeria Young Academy.
• International Institute of Science Diplomacy and Sustainability – Malaysia.
• Kenya Wildlife Services.
• University of the Arctic (UArctic).
• The University of Massachusetts Boston (Umass Boston).
• Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, University of British Columbia (UBC).
• Solving FCB.
• University of Port Harcourt.
• Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny.
• Institut Senegalais de Recherches Agricoles (ISRA).
• United Nations Youth Association – Ghana (UNYA-GH).
• Students on Ice Foundation.
• Connecting Climate Minds.
• International Institute of Science Diplomacy & Sustainability (IISDS).
• Amanah Lestari Alam (ALAM) of Malaysia.
• Malaysia Development Bank.
• Northlands College.
• Inter-American Development Bank.
• United Nations Technology Bank for Least Developed Countries.
• Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School.
• EUEPiN at the University of Lagos.
• Child Trends.
• Future Earth.
• Kenitra National Higher School of Chemistry, Ibn Tofail University (ENSCK-UIT).
• Sciences & Development Association (SDA).