ASIA-PACIFIC CLIMATE WEEK 2023 SIDE EVENT
Johor Bahru, Malaysia
November 14, 2023
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Malaysia Time (GMT+8)

This is a hybrid event – the link to the livestream will be posted when available

Asia is grappling with a myriad of challenges associated with climate change impacts that threaten the livelihoods, economies, and ecosystems of Asian countries and vulnerable communities who reside here. There is undeniable proof that the most vulnerable people are the ones most affected by climate impacts despite contributing the least to carbon emissions. The Synthesis Report (SYR) of the 6th Assessment Report (AR6) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) particularly highlights this strongly, as they highlight how climate change impacts exacerbate the experiences of deprivation of approximately 3.3 – 3.6 billion people who live in highly vulnerable contexts. Extreme poverty, governance challenges, violent conflict, or reliance on climate-sensitive livelihoods such as smallholder farming, pastoralism, fishing, and subsistence living characterize these contexts. Indigenous Peoples and local communities are also often marginalized and live in inequitable conditions, further exacerbating these conditions.

This side event at the Asia Climate Week aims to shed light on the relationship between land rights and climate resilience from young leaders directly representing or working closely with indigenous peoples and local communities, pastoralists, family and peasant farmers. People-centred land governance offers the systemic transformation necessary to address the climate and biodiversity crises, and young people are already part of the solution.

Indigenous and rural youth are leaders and solution-bearers in addressing the food, biodiversity, and climate crises. IFAD’s 2019 report on rural development shows that 84% of the global youth population, or 1.2 billion individuals aged 15 to 24, live in rural areas of the global South, particularly sub-Saharan Africa, South-Central, and Southeast Asia. Despite facing multiple challenges, such as limited access to land, financial resources, and training, lack of employment opportunities, and exclusion from decision-making, youth are crucial in ensuring food sovereignty and security and adapting production systems to a rapidly changing climate. Young people must lead the sustainable transformation of urban-rural landscapes and strengthen young people’s role in land governance.

OBJECTIVES

• From young people’s perspectives, including young rural women, share best practices, knowledge, and scientific and transformative approaches to climate adaptation and mitigation, primarily focusing on climate solutions of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities, Family and Peasant Farmers and Pastoralists.
• Articulate regional and global policy frameworks that can scale up such initiatives by youth, secure their role in land governance, and catalyze action toward climate mitigation and adaptation
• Identify challenges and opportunities in advancing people-centred land governance for transformational adaptation and mitigation, highlighting the co-benefits of transforming land governance to climate action initiatives

SPEAKERS

• Ms. Raihana Rahman, Stand 4 Her Land Campaign in Bangladesh
• Ms. Asami Segundo, Philippine Association for Intercultural Development (PAFID) & National Land Coalition Philippines (NLC Philippines)
• Ms. Kunduz Adylbekova, Central Asia Pastoralist Alliance (CAPA)
• Mr. Dazzle Labapis, Non-Timber Forest Products – Exchange Programme Asia (NTFP-EP Asia)

Moderator: Lanz Espacio, Asia Programme Officer, International Land Coalition

Click here to learn more about the Asia-Pacific Climate Week 2023