Global youth leaders share T20 summit priorities

The T20 summit in Brazil will bring together think tanks and research centres from G20 and guest countries in November 2024. It presents a pivotal moment for global climate leadership, particularly for emerging voices from the Global South. 

The following represents our cohort’s suggestions on operationalising equitable climate action and cut across the agendas set for the six T20 task forces. 

By redistributing and strengthening funds equitably, improving inclusivity of non-state actors, bringing in more accountability for G20 countries, and fostering innovation within our regions, we can create a more just and effective approach to climate action.

• Reconfigure financial investments toward the climate and bioeconomy sectors
• Redistribute funds more equitably across contexts of adaptation, mitigation and loss and damage
• Create funds specifically for building capacity within countries, such as through infrastructure funding streams, protecting intellectual property rights, and investments for nature-based solutions
• Provide platforms, mechanisms, and funding specifically within the Global South to further enable innovation and decrease the technology divide

Finance is critical for a sustainable future. We need investments in clean technologies, green infrastructure, and adaptation strategies for developing countries. Without adequate funding, the transition to a low-carbon economy will be much slower and more painful.
- Ali Abdullahi, Director, EcoHub Somalia

• Enhance collaboration across value chains
• Empower community action for climate adaptation, through legal recognition and inclusion within decision-making processes
• Elevate the position of historically marginalized people, in particular Indigenous communities, youth and other non-state actors, moving towards bottom-up governance to implement the strengthened climate finance mechanisms suggested 
• Recognise the need for improved governance in almost all contexts, including moving from goals to actual implementation of those goals
   

Communities deal with issues every day. By including them in discussions, we get real-world insights and diverse perspectives that make our policy recommendations more practical and effective.
- Yasara Ramanayake, Director, The Road to Rights Sri Lanka 

• Prioritize inter-country collaboration
• Balance benefits and burdens equitably across participants
• Establish metrics to enable accountability, including as a way to verify progress toward climate goals and climate-related legislation 
• Collect further data to support climate-related metrics and enable transparency - enabling further capacity for relevant collection

Accountability is essential because it ensures that countries and companies show clarity on whether targets are met or not. This transparency builds trust and gives hope that real progress is being made in addressing climate challenges.
- Alokita Jha, The Organic and Fairtrade Cotton Secretariat, India 

We believe that addressing the global climate crisis requires comprehensive and multifaceted strategies that transcend national boundaries and economic disparities. 

As we gather in Brazil, we urge all leaders to commit to these strategies, recognising that the future of our planet depends on our collective action and dedication to a fair and sustainable world.

The Smith School offers two flagship programmes to help global youth leaders build capacity at the intersection of sustainability, enterprise and the environment. 

The Summer SCENCE programme is a 2 week low-carbon summer school programme with a live webinar format, designed to guide and encourage an audience from the Global South to engage with sustainability policy.

The Global Youth Climate Training programme, in partnership with Oxford Net Zero and the Global Youth Coalition, is a 10 week course that equips people aged 16-35 with the knowledge and confidence necessary to engage in international climate policy including through the UNFCCC.