In line with the JEF Policies, JEF is undertaking the following actions to raise awareness about the need for stronger environmental governance in light of the COP16 in Cancun:

• Raise awareness via our Facebook event.
• Spread a Facebook COP16 profile picture. Please click here to customise your own!
• Feature specific articles on our online magazine, the TNF.
• Support the campaign organised by Youth Friends of the Earth and the Youth climate coalitions.
• Issue a Press Release at the start of the COP16 and invite sections to translate and spread it as well!

JEF Europe has always expressed its concern relating to environment and climate change issues. Upcoming generations are very likely to be affected by the impacts of climate change and environmental degradation.

As a youth organisation, JEF Europe is particularly involved in defending the rights of current and future generations to a healthy, clean and fair future.

As a federalist organisation, JEF Europe strongly believes in the ideals of democracy, rule of law and human rights. Protecting these ideals involves the creation of institutions addressing the challenges society faces and guaranteeing solidarity among nations. Given the global dimension of climate change and its ever increasing impact on countries around the planet which poses a threat to political stability, economic development and world peace, JEF Europe is strongly convinced by the necessity of reaching a binding global agreement, and ultimately, in the necessity of setting up an integrated system of international environmental governance.

As a European organisation, JEF Europe urges the European Union to take its responsibilities and hold its role as leader of the climate change negotiations to reach a binding agreement effectively limiting the carbon emissions. 

JEF Europe has therefore adopted a number of political resolutions in the fight against climate change and reacting to the failure of the 2009 Copenhagen Summit on European and international environmental governance.

Please take a look at our Press Release for the COP16 negotiations and join our online campaign on Facebook here.

JEF Europe's political resolutions

• Read here the JEF position on the necessity to fighting climate change
• Read here the JEF position on the need for a European and international environment governance

Articles on The New Federalist

• International Climate Policy Post-Copenhagen: what role for the EU, Jofre M. Rocabert (May 2010)
• Lessons learned? Perspectives for post-Copenhagen, Jo Leinen (November 2010)

Similar youth campaigns

• Young Friends of the Earth Europe - From 26th November- 12th December 2010 join Young FoEE in Brussels at the Youth Convergence for Climate Justice
• Youth Climate Coalition - The UK delegation is off to Cancun!

Useful links
International organisations related to the COP16 and climate change

• Official website of the COP16/CMP6
• Official website of the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) Secretariat
• Official website of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

The European Union and climate change

• Visit the website of the Climate Action Directorate-General (DG)
• Read the European Climate Change Programme
• Join the European Commission’s campaign “You Control Climate change”
• Discover the EU@UN environment related issues

In the framework of the 2010 UN International Year of Youth, the 11th edition (12-19 September) of the University of Youth and Development (UYD) focussed on sustainable development and linked this to human rights and the fulfilment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s). The UYD is a joint activity organised by the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe, the Spanish Government (INJUVE), the Spanish Youth Council (CJE) and the European Youth Forum (YFJ).They bring together representatives of youth organisations and youth movements from all over the world and gather in the CEULAJ (Euro-Latin-American Youth Centre) to discuss, train and be trained and to take political action around the main issues on the global agenda. 

With more than 10 partners and almost 300 participants the UYD covered 12 workshops, meetings and training courses, of which the International preparatory meeting on the COP 16, organized by YFJ, was one. In that prep meeting, JEF was represented by Angelique Vandekerckhove (President JEF Belgium). The meeting covered European as well as Latin-American and Caribbean youth representation, which gave the group talks a dynamic and energetic twist. Besides scientific and political crash courses on climate change, we discussed on the role of youth and learned lobbying techniques through UN simulations. 

The last days we focussed upon fostering participation in Latin America and the Caribbean, strengthening regional movements and the role of national youth climate networks in this process, as to end with a strategy towards the COP 16. It was very enriching to get into contact with different youth organisations and potential partners for cooperation on the, utmost federal, climate change topic and share experiences on global & European youth work. 

In the final declaration of the 11th UYD, which will be addressed to the Heads of States, we demand “a global, fair, adequate and legally binding agreement to combat climate change” and emphasise that youth, consisting of nearly half of the world’s population, demands to be seen as key actors for development. This declaration shows the importance of cooperation between young people and youth workers from different regions and backgrounds, because we only have one world, our world. And although JEF will not be represented on the COP 16, we should express our concern by taking a firm stand by writing a resolution on environmental (good) governance and organising a creative pan-European street action, preferably in cooperation with national or local youth climate coalitions.

For further details on the University of Youth and Development, please visit www.uyd.mehttp://www.uyd.me/

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