A NORTH Wales Member of the Senedd has hosted young people from across Wildlife Trusts in Wales, at the Senedd, to present their Youth Manifesto for the United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP16), taking place this week in Colombia.
Young people from five Wildlife Trusts across Wales visited the Senedd last week as part of the ‘Stand for Nature Project’, the purpose of which is to tackle climate change with the help of young people in Wales.
For the last three years, the project has worked to empower and inspire young people to take action for nature and wildlife in their local area. The groups were invited to the Senedd by Carolyn Thomas, MS for North Wales, to mark the end of their project, which has culminated in the production of a Youth Manifesto for this week’s COP16 conference.
The Youth Manifesto calls for the involvement of young people in decision making processes at all levels, ensuring that future generations have a voice when designing and implementing policy. It also calls for the expansion of green corridors and spaces for wildlife across Wales, as well as a two-thirds reduction in the use of domestic and agricultural pesticides in Wales by 2030.
Speaking after sponsoring the event, Carolyn Thomas said: “It was an honour to sponsor this event, and to bring young people from Wildlife Trusts to the Senedd. They made some amazing speeches in the company of the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change, Huw Irranca-Davies MS. It is always inspiring to meet young people who care so much about nature and the planet – they are our future. They reminded us of the privileged position we hold as elected representatives and the changes they would make if they had a day in our shoes.”
Thomas continued: “Given the Youth Manifesto includes a commitment to including young people in all aspects of policy and decision-making, what better way to honour that than by bringing them into our national parliament to present their ideas. In Wales, we aren’t just talking the talk, because we have the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act which is considered when making decisions, and commits the Government to ensuring that future generations have at least the same quality of life as we do now.”
Tim Birch, Senior Advocacy and Policy Manager at Wildlife Trusts Wales, who organised the event, said: “It is vital that the hopes and concerns of the young people of Wales, raised in their Youth Manifesto for climate and wildlife, are acted upon. It is their future at stake and time is running out.”
