British Embassy hosts Youth in Climate Action meeting

On October 24th, young activists from all over the country gathered at Paseo Parque Villa Elisa to participate in the “Youth in Action for Climate” meeting, which included workshops and various activities as part of the “Road to COP26” month, organised by the British Embassy in Asunción.

This activity was carried out with the support of the Municipality of Villa Elisa, United Nations Paraguay, the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, the Commission on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in Paraguay, the Global Environment Facility, the United Nations Development Programme in Paraguay, UNICEF Paraguay, UNOPS, the World Bank, and non-governmental organizations World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Paraguay, Defensores del Chaco Pypore, and Junio Verde.

The event started with a welcome from Mr. Jorge Larroza, Major of Villa Elisa. Many other representatives from government and organizations offered a few words, among them Mr. Ulises Lovera, National Director for Climate Change; Mr. Mario Samaja, Resident Coordinator of the United Nations in Paraguay; Mrs. Ruth Vera, Representative of the Commission on Sustainable Development Goals in Paraguay; and Mr. Rodrigo Arias, coordinator of the Defensores del Chaco Pypore Organization. Miss Universe Paraguay Nadia Ferreira, and long-standing environmental activist Carlos González from Ñemby were the MCs. Some notable guests were Congressman José Rodríguez; United Nations Development Programme Resident Representative in Paraguay, Mrs. Silvia Morimoto; and country director for WWF, Mrs. Lucy Aquino.

The British Ambassador to Paraguay, Ramin Navai, also addressed the young people appreciating their commitment to climate action and their interest in the SDG. As part of his speech, Ambassador Navai remarked:

25% of you will see the XXII century. No head of state or I will see it. You will: it is your future.

You must be involved in this conversation and governments must listen to you.

After the launch event, the Municipality of Villa Elisa inaugurated the SDG Promenade. Following this, the youth activist and many representatives joined together to display a giant “Sustainable Paraguay at COP26” flag. The day ended with workshops given by and for young people, with the support of WWF and Defensores del Chaco Pypore.

This year will be the 26th Conference of the Parties, better known as COP26, in Glasgow. The UK has taken over the presidency of the Summit in partnership with Italy and is working with all nations to reach agreement on how to tackle climate change.

In the lead up to COP26, the British Embassy in Asunción organized a series of activities and projects related to climate action and a sustainable future throughout the year, brought together as the “Road to COP26” month.

Referring to the importance of collective climate action, Ambassador Navai concluded by paraphrasing a famous quote:

‘We don’t need one perfect environmentalist: we need billions of imperfect environmentalists taking climate action every day.’

It is an honour to be supporting the voice of young people in Paraguay: they know what they want for their future and we have to support them.