For its first edition, the International Youth Climate Forum will be held from 29 to 31 May 2023 in the northern city of Kara in Togo. The event is organised by the government of this West African country with the support of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) and the non-governmental organisation (NGO) Women Environmental Programme Togo (WEP-Togo) based in Lomé.
The meeting, which will bring together students, entrepreneurs and youth associations from several African countries, will have as its theme “the role of youth in the implementation of Nationally Determined Contributions in Togo”. During three days of exchanges, caravan and exhibitions, participants will explore mechanisms for raising awareness of environmental protection as well as new developments in this area.
“The International Youth Climate Forum aims to give young people a voice. They will address environmental concerns in their own way and possibly propose inclusive solutions to build resilience. Indeed, Togo is faced with many climatic hazards including drought, brutal and devastating rainfall, as well as coastal erosion,” say the Togolese authorities.
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This is why the Institut de la Francophonie pour la Formation au Développement Durable (IFDD) trained 200 African women in climate negotiations in September 2022. The learners from 23 OIF member countries, including Togo, were equipped with tools on several topics, including climate finance, mitigation, adaptation and cooperation. The training benefited from the technical support of the African Group of Negotiators (AGN), Environment and Climate Change Canada, the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs (MEAE) and the Principality of Monaco.
For more information on the event, click here.
Benoit-Ivan Wansi