COP 29 Youth Speaker
It was a unique privilege and surreal experience to be selected as a Youth Delegate Speaker at the UNFCCC COP '29 in Baku, Azerbaijan. I have been a member of YOUNGO, the UNFCCC youth constituency for four years now and applied to speak at the session titled "Ensuring Intergenerational Equity in Climate Finance: Youth-led dialogue on the New Collective Quantified Goal on Climate Finance (NCQG)." Fortunately, I was selected and participated in the panel as the only under 18 delegate.
During the panel, I explained issues currently threatening the Sundarbans including poverty, extreme weather events, and mangrove forest loss. I pointed out issues with current afforestation efforts and proposed the use of carbon credits as a sustainable source of funding. I highlighted the need for increased accessibility to climate finance for marginalized communities such as those in the Sundarbans that don't often have a voice to represent themselves. It was an amazing opportunity to interact with folks working on climate initiatives from around the world!
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