Curro Velho hosts youth plenary on the preservation of Brazilian biomes
The initiative addressed climate change, defense of territories, financing, and other issues that directly impact people's lives
The Curro Velho Workshop Center, headquarters of the Youth Cities at COP30, hosted the Youth plenary on the afternoon of last Tuesday, the 18th. Held at the Curro Velho theater, the plenary promoted a conversation with the youth about the importance of preserving biomes and the various “Brasils” that exist within the country.
International representatives, ministers, and youth leaders discussed the particularities of the biomes and especially about financing to ensure dignity for both the environment and the people. Climate change and the various scenarios of Brazil, reflected in its biomes, were also addressed.
There are twelve delegates, two for each biome. The Secretary General of the International Youth Organization (OIJ), Alexandre Pupo, presented numbers on the climate agenda. “We wanted to enter this debate with a complex of numbers, of funds, of who puts money in, because youth was left out of this debate. Of the climate funds created in the COP environment, to finance the transition, to finance adaptation, to finance mitigation, a fund for forests is now also being created, only 0.76 of these funds is applied to youth-led organizations,” said Alexandre Pupo.
The representations of the biomes on site show how the Brazilian portrait should be viewed with attentive eyes to its particularities. The delegate of the Pampa biome, Paula Hahn, an international relations student, shared during the plenary the particularities of her territory and the challenges of thinking about financing methods, environmental changes, and social security, citing food and economic security as factors to consider in preserving the territory.
“This issue of financing is really a key point, because it is necessary for us to pursue it, but in order to achieve it, we also need to have a more coordinated, active, and articulated action within the civil society of the Pampa. Because to face those we need to confront and win to secure financing, there is still a long way to go,” reports the representative of the Pampa biome about thinking strategies for preservation with a macro vision, which includes not only the environment but also the people living there, said Paula Hahn.
The Minister of Development and Social Assistance, Family and Fight Against Hunger, Wellington Dias, expressed motivation with youth participation. “There was always a group of youth demanding the importance of having a voice, having conditions for participation, and for me, it is a great joy. What you are experiencing is certainly a step forward; you will never be the same after this moment here. I am very happy about that.”
The participation of youth in the debates on climate change, defense of territories, financing, and other issues discussed in the plenary reveals the youthful power in decisions that directly impact people's lives. Young people are reflecting on the scenario they already live with climate change and articulating ways to change this reality.
Text by Marcos Maia / Ascom FCP
