Demands inclusive action and systemic change
In a compelling statement ahead of COP30, youth leader Afra Nawar Rahman from Young Power in Social Action (YPSA) has articulated a vision for climate action that centers on human rights and justice.
Afra positioned the climate crisis foremost as a human crisis requiring a response that reflects this truth.
She emphasized that YPSA’s work places young people at the forefront of all initiatives. Young people are not passive beneficiaries but active designers, implementers, and changemakers across adaptation, mitigation, and biodiversity conservation.
Their roles extend to governance and advocacy work.
Programmes in Bangladesh demonstrate this commitment through building resilience in exposed communities. Further work includes restoring mangrove and coastal ecosystems and promoting nature-based solutions. A key focus is helping youth step into meaningful leadership roles.
The organization facilitates training and capacity-building for young people. This enables them to shape planning and implementation processes. They work side-by-side with decision-makers on critical environmental issues.
YPSA’s work spans three key areas: mitigation, adaptation, and biodiversity. Mitigation efforts include reducing emissions and shifting energy and fuel use. Adaptation focuses on strengthening resilience of vulnerable livelihoods and coastal zones.
It also addresses saltwater intrusion and disaster preparation. Biodiversity work involves protecting ecosystems and restoring coastal forests.
Concurrently, the organization engages governance structures and advocates for policy change. This ensures the conditions for sustained climate action are firmly in place.
At the upcoming COP30, YPSA aims to deepen its work in disability inclusion and gender justice. The group is calling for climate finance mechanisms that explicitly allocate resources for inclusive programming. This area has been overlooked for too long in climate negotiations.
While the official track may not yet create a dedicated finance stream, negotiations are moving positively. Discourse around disability-inclusive climate action is now emerging in the lead-up to COP30.
Afra also demands that water rights become a core climate justice issue. This applies from coastal Bangladesh to water-stressed regions globally. Securing access to water and safe water infrastructure is critical. Governance of water must be recognized as a fundamental human right.
She also calls on corporations and oil and gas companies to accept responsibility. Emerging actors such as AI-data stations and digital infrastructure providers are also included. These entities must acknowledge the climate risk they generate through their operations.
The statement warned that failure to accept responsibility risks repeating disasters like Hurricane Melissa. Even worse catastrophes could occur in the future without corporate accountability.
As a youth movement, YPSA rejects the notion that climate action is separate from other justice struggles. The fight to protect our planet is inseparable from upholding human dignity. It connects to ending genocide, ethnic cleansing and occupation wherever they occur.
“Climate justice demands justice for all,” Afra stated clearly. The movement stands with Palestine and every community suffering violence and discrimination. Climate demands cannot be met unless all systems of oppression are dismantled.
The fight for climate is and must always be a fight for humanity itself. This principle guides all of YPSA’s advocacy and on-ground work.
At COP30, Afra and YPSA will formally demand accessible and equitable climate finance. Funds must reach youth organisations and women-led collectives directly. Resources should not remain trapped solely at national ministry levels.
The group will call for disability-inclusive climate action across all programmes. Every adaptation and mitigation effort must build in persons with disabilities as rights-holders. This requires disaggregated data, accessible design and dedicated resources.
They will push for gender-responsive climate programming with minimum standards. This includes ensuring leadership roles for women and youth in all initiatives. Gender-budgeting and accountability mechanisms are essential components.
Finally, they demand water justice be recognized as climate justice. Water access, rights and governance form a frontline defence in climate resilience. This is particularly crucial for vulnerable coastal and rural communities worldwide.
