The Federal Government has said it will engage the youth in its effort to tackle the challenges of climate change, especially concerning the impact on the youth.
Head of Press and Public Relations, Ministry of Youths Development, Maryam Umar Yusuf said in a statement on Friday that the government had plans to adopt a youth-led initiative to engage in the struggle.
The statement noted that the Minister of Youths Development, Dr Jamila Bio-Ibrahim, disclosed this at the 13th edition of the UNESCO Youth Forum held at the ongoing 42nd UNESCO General Conference in Paris, France.
Bio said the present administration emphasized that it would support developing nations with essential financial resources, technical know-how, and technology to transition into the green economy.
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She said the federal government was fostering global collaboration to empower developing countries in their efforts to combat climate change while advancing economic development.
Bio decried that Nigeria was affected negatively by the climate change impact especially on the land and water resources leading to conflicts, agricultural disruptions, and displacement of communities.
She added that those who bear the consequences the most are the youth who constitute about 70 per cent of the Nigerian population, which is the largest youth population per country on the African continent and 10 per cent of the global youth population.
According to her, the present administration’s commitment to enhance youth climate action in Nigeria is “empowering youth participation through engagement by involving them in discussions with stakeholders and policymakers; focusing on young people at the grassroots level and adopting a bottom-up approach to climate action.”
