LocationsZambia’s youth have made their intentions clear
“Time to take the Climate Action Out of the Boardroom and into the Streets”
October 1, 2024
Attendees at the Youth SDGs Summit in the Copperbelt
Image captured by: Vanessa Wematu Akibate/UNDP Zambia
Reaching the highest global average in recorded history, July was the 14th consecutive month of record-breaking heat, concluding the longest streak of increasing heat since 1980 (World Meteorological Organisation, 2024). With floods sweeping desert lands and the collapse of glaciers in cooler parts of the world, the effects of this increase in the average global temperature, and other signifiers of the climate crisis, are widespread. At home in Zambia, citizens have been battling the devasting effects of a drought and its ensuing energy crisis, which has set back development efforts in the country. Without immediate and coordinated action to address climate change, we risk reversing decades of development progress across the globe.
To the youth, who are the inheritors of the future, this is matter requires urgent action.
At the end of September 2024, the youth in Zambia and across Southern Africa made this fact abundantly clear. They have always been at the forefront of the climate crisis, but now, they join millions of young people across the globe in calling for an expanded role in the fight to preserve our planet.
The Regional Conference on Youth 2024 gathered youth from all over Southern Africa to discuss “Shaping Financial Climate Resilience for Child and Youth-led Adaptation and Mitigation”
Image captured by: Vanessa Wematu Akibate/UNDP Zambia
Supporting Productive Climate Change Engagements
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Zambia was proud to support two youth fora focused on determining an efficient roadmap towards achieving the 13th Sustainable Development Goal: Climate Action. Alongside the Ministry of Green Economy and Environment, COMESA, UNICEF Zambia, the European Union, Voices for Just Climate Action and ICU TV, UNDP joined young Africans for the Regional Conference of Youth on Climate as they discussed the 2024 theme, “Shaping Financial Climate Resilience for Child and Youth-led Adaptation and Mitigation”. The sessions delved into climate policy action, innovation, and climate and biodiversity financing, with participants calling for these discussions to exit the boardroom and materialise as impact in the real world.
“We do not want to sit in boardrooms anymore… it’s time to go into the streets and meet the needs of the marginalized… it’s time to be the change we want to see”— Raphael Banda, young Zambian poet, and Climate Action Advocate
Following this conference, the youth of Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe and the host country, Zambia, produced a Youth Declaration and Youth Position Paper through which they expect to hold governments and partners accountable. The event closed with the formation of a Climate Change Regional Youth Task Force, which will lead the implementation and monitoring of progress ahead of next year’s conference.
On the Copperbelt, over 1500 Zambian students gathered on the 26th and 27th of September to interrogate and advocate for the youth’s role in achieving Agenda 2030. Supported by UNDP Zambia and themed, “Our Health, Our Planet, Our Future: Youth-Driven Solutions for a Sustainable Tomorrow”, the 4th Youth SDG Summit 2024 explored the various ways in which young changemakers were positively impacting their communities in the areas of Climate Action and Sexual and Reproductive Health. UNDP joined the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Arts, sister agency UNESCO, and several private sector partners including Zambia Sugar, ZANACO, ZamBeef Products, Liquid Telecoms, Copper Rose Zambia, and World Merit, in support of these young advocates. Participants left the summit empowered with the information, insights and networks needed to scale their ideas and initiatives into more comprehensive strategies and programmes to advance the implementation of the SDGs in their individual spaces.
“To the young people amongst us, each of you represents the spirit of innovation and relentless progress that is driving Zambia forward, building on the legacy of its founding fathers. This Summit is a valuable platform for dialogue, exchange, and connection… The future is truly in your hands. You are not just the leaders of tomorrow; you are already making an impact today”, noted Youth Programme Specialist, Sharon Wekwete, on behalf of the UNDP’s Resident Representative, James Wakiaga.
UNDP’s Commitment to Zambia’s Youth
Concluding these programmes, the UNDP reiterated its continued commitment to not only amplifying the voices of the youth, but also collaborating with them to address their concerns for the future of the planet.
Demonstrating this commitment, the UNDP has worked through the GRZ-UN Joint Programme on Youth, to enhance youth employability and to promote meaningful youth engagement in the public and private sector. Implemented in partnership with Zambia’s Ministry of Youth, Sport and Arts, and supported by several private sector partners, over 2000 young people have been placed across government ministries, UN agencies and in the private sector as part of an Internship, Volunteering, Apprenticeship and Graduate (IVAG) programme that builds their professional skills and capacities while also leveraging their perspectives and inputs to further development efforts. Etambuyu Katota, joined UNDP under the IVAG programme and was placed in the Project Implementation Unit (PIU) at the Ministry of Youth, Sport, and Art as an intern. As a result of her dedication and passion for storytelling, she now supports the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit as the Risk Communications and Community Engagement Officer. In this new role, she uses her experiences from the IVAG programme to enhance crisis communication and community engagements in the midst of Zambia’s worst drought in two decades.
“Working as Communications Assistant in the IVAG programme provided me a great opportunity for growth, in my role I was able to interact with youths and tell their stories. This opportunity prepared me for a transition into another role as Risk Communication and Community Engagement Officer in DMMU's Drought Response programme. Now I work to raise awareness on the drought situation and highlight the necessary action needed to respond to the crisis”, Etambuyu reflects.
The UNDP also works to create an enabling environment for Zambians born in the age of digital technology and the 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR). At the Copperbelt University (CBU), 14 students who designed and built an electric car, as part of their exploration of a cleaner future for Zambia, are now provided with a space through which they can market their innovations, access mentorship from industry experts, and produce prototypes to enhance the vehicle’s efficiency. The Mukuba Unipod is a University Innovation Pod based out of Copperbelt University that supports young experimenters and entrepreneurs from across the country by providing them with the resources and equipment to develop their ideas into marketable, sustainable solutions. The Unipod offers young people access to a variety of resources including a computer lab, woodworking and textile manufacturing equipment, a creative studio, collaboration rooms and more, all run with high-speed internet provided by Liquid Telecoms. Through this Unipod, young ideators and doers can use technology to solve complex challenges including climate change in their communities and beyond. You can learn about one such innovator, Nchimunya Munyama, here.
The Unipod is powered by timbuktoo Africa, a billion-dollar initiative by the UNDP that aims to enhance the start-up environment on the continent. timbuktoo operates on the understanding that talents are in abundance, therefore by providing the much-needed resources, support, and opportunities to create an enabling environment for innovators and entrepreneurs, Africa can lead the digital era. Currently, timbuktoo is setting up ten sector specific hubs across the continent, connecting innovators and entrepreneurs within specific knowledge, tools and resources needed to thrive in either the, Smart Cities/Mobilities, Trade/Logistics/E-Commerce, Tourism/Edtech, Agritech, Fintech, Manutech, Green/Climate/Energy Tech, Health Tech, Creative and Cultural Industries, and/or Minetech spaces.
Zambia is home to the upcoming MineTech Hub that will offer Zambian youth and youth from across the African continent, with a tech-enabled facility to explore clean and sustainable innovations in the extractive, yet highly lucrative mining industry.
From Amplification to Action
While UNDP, working in conjunction with its partners in the private and public sector, has made great strides in listening to and providing facilities for the youth to actualise their development aspirations, more concerted efforts are needed to scale the impacts of these initiatives and enhance co-creation with the youth. By investing in young people’s drive for a more sustainable future, the devastating effects of climate change can be effectively mitigated, and the youth will lead the path towards a more sustainable shared future for all around the globe.
