Youth Call for Climate Action at the UN
Kneyone Murray, Blue Planet Climate Ambassador, at the UN Water Conference in New York (7th from left) in March
By Kneyone Murray
Overwhelmed with the perfect balance of excitement and anxiety, March 22nd, 2023, set out to be one of the most memorable days of my life. This historic day was the UN Water Conference, which was co-hosted by the Governments of Tajikistan and the Netherlands and held in New York City. The conference aimed to zero in on the global water crisis and the need to protect this resource, as it is a basic human right for the planet’s 8 billion people.
I found it hard to believe that it has been 46 years since the last United Nations Water Conference, which was held in Mar De Plata, Argentina. Water is the substance of all creation, and without it, we simply cannot survive. I was absolutely stunned to learn that, for the last half century, it was not given the importance it deserved by the UN.
I had the honor of attending the conference as a Global Ambassador in a program jointly run by Blue Planet Alliance and Peace Boat US. Peace Boat US is a non-governmental and nonprofit organization working to promote peace, human rights, and sustainable development. They are committed campaigners for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and engage youth through Global Voyages.
As a Global Ambassador, I will be one of the key youth voices executing Blue Planet Alliance’s mission to lead every island nation and country across the globe to transition away from dirty energy and to 100% renewable energy by 2025.
After enduring the freezing New York March weather for about three hours while waiting in line to get my UN accreditation, my conference experience started with an official UN Water Conference side event called “Addressing Global Water Challenges for Sustainable Development Through Climate Action and Nuclear Disarmament in the Pacific.” I was a panelist and was asked to share my work on sargassum seaweed, which is an invasive species that is becoming a threat to many Caribbean countries and some parts of the Americas.
I also spoke about my time at the Our Ocean Youth Leadership Summit, which was co-hosted by the Sustainable Ocean Alliance and the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, as well as the main Our Ocean Conference 2023 held in Panama. The event was an opportunity to inspire, inform, and empower youth participants to build holistic solutions that better the needs of society, industry, and the environment.
Funding Is the Main Stumbling Block
On the last day of the conference, I was fortunate to attend a main plenary event, especially since there were limited passes being issued each day. I had focused instead on the official side events, which were easier to attend, and which included youth panels, because I felt the need to support my fellow youth and hear about all the exciting work that they are conducting. I was also amazed at the fact that I was able to give contributions at side events that were open-table discussions, allowing youth to have a voice. The consensus of many youths at these events is agreement that funding is the main stumbling block for all great ideas that could possibly help in decision-making for real action to tackle the ever-growing list of SDG 6 “commitments.”
There were also side events that require one to sign up in advance due to limited space, especially those with “High Level Panels.” The inclusion of youth in the main plenaries was lacking, and as a key stakeholder, this is extremely problematic. Youths need to be included in negotiations, because we are experts, as well, with some even spearheading projects that contribute to changing the outlook on sustainability.
One side event that stood out to me was the “Our Future for Water & Life OACPS-EU Youth-Led Dialogue for Cooperation in Sustainable Water Resources Management.” During this panel, I witnessed youth representatives from African, Caribbean, and Pacific states, all making a powerful contribution. One representative from Kenya reiterated that youth are never called upon to talk about their expertise they are instead thrown into many conferences to give a “Youth’s perspective.” She was adamant that this must change.
Another speaker, Damilola Hamid Balogun, CEO of Youth Sustainable Development Network, was truly inspiring and made me feel as though I am on the right path in life. His goals to invest in youth implementation at the grassroots level and empower young people resonated with me.
All in all, this was a great opportunity to understand the bridge between our ocean and our freshwater resources. The inclusion of youth via side events was truly inspiring. However, it is my opinion that youth are not trusted enough to take on the issues that have plagued our planet because of human greed for resources. We need world leaders and key decision-makers to trust in the youth as partners, support our initiatives, encourage peer-to-peer learning, and put youth at the forefront of national, regional, and international negotiations, because we must live on this planet when the older generation is gone.
It is very clear that I am on the right path in life, and I look forward to my continued growth and journey in the Sustainable Development Goals realm. This conference opened my eyes to the UN space and, as a youth leader from the Small Island Developing State of Trinidad and Tobago, I am keen to ensure that our voices, issues, solutions, and innovations are amplified at the global scale.
My message to the youth and our elder leaders is the following:
“We must work together to change the outlook on living a sustainable life. We must find a way to co-exist in this world of greed that we live in. We do not have much more time, as #climatechange is REAL!! Youth have a voice and these organizations give us a platform to voice our opinions and teach us the necessary skills needed to harness our ideas and bring them to life. There are people in this world willing to help, you just must find them.”
Kneyone Murray is an entrepreneur, renewable-energy consultant, and a self-taught abstract artist from the beautiful twin-island country of Trinidad and Tobago.
