(Ottawa) Canada should lead an initiative allowing young people to take charge of the reform of global institutions in order to fight climate change, argued the management of the Save the Children organization, which at the same time urges Ottawa to cancel his cuts in humanitarian aid.
“Canada is in a unique position today to really help the world lead differently, to help young people find hope for the future,” said Rotimy Djossaya, head of global policy at the charity, during a recent visit to Ottawa.
In mid-September, leaders from several countries around the world gathered at the United Nations to take stock of the Sustainable Development Goals, such as gender equality, ending extreme poverty and ensuring secondary education quality for every child. The goals involve 140 specific targets agreed in 2015, to be achieved by 2030.
Yet the United Nations says only 15 percent of those goals have been achieved, and 193 countries have agreed to accelerate progress over the remaining seven years.
“We are lost. So we need leaders; we need commitment,” said Mme Djossaya.
PHOTO TAKEN FROM ROTIMY DJOSSAYA’S X ACCOUNT
Rotimy Djossaya, director of the Save the Children organization
The latter believes that Canada’s feminist international aid policy has inspired other countries to take gender equality seriously and to reform the way they finance projects in developing countries in order to empower groups on the ground.
A drop in funding
Mme Djossaya deplores, however, that the funding promised by Canada and the deadlines it has set do not take into account the challenges these countries face nor the objectives set by the United Nations.
In this spring’s budget, the Liberals planned a reduction in funding of $1.3 billion, or 15% less than the previous year.
The Trudeau government insists this is not a cut, since the budget remains larger than Canada’s aid spending before the COVID-19 pandemic and Ukraine’s invasion of Ukraine. Russia. But it fits a trend among Western countries to cut aid spending amid a series of climate disasters and refugee crises.
This trend hits children hard, underlined Mme Djossaya.
His organization surveyed 54,000 children in 41 countries and found that they clearly feel that adults are not doing enough to address what they perceive as increasing inequality and climate chaos.
“They have difficulty understanding the world we will live in tomorrow. They struggle to understand the unprecedented scale of the impact of climate change and natural disasters,” the official said.
This month, the Overseas Development Institute said Canada had contributed only 51% of its “fair share” of the billions needed to help countries adapt to climate change, based on greenhouse gas emissions, gross national income and population size.
Meanwhile, in August, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights declared that inaction on climate change amounts to a violation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child to which virtually all countries join, giving more teeth to legal challenges from governments that do not take climate change seriously.
“It is urgent that we intensify our efforts,” said Mr.me Djossaya. How do we use the tools to truly provide the next generation with a livable planet? This is something alarming to me. »
At the United Nations, Canada has argued that there is not enough funding available for poorer countries to meet these goals, particularly those facing an increase in natural disasters associated with climate change.
For example, according to the World Meteorological Organization, around 60% of Africans do not have access to early warning systems to help them escape disasters.
It’s up to States to take their responsibilities
Ottawa has argued that the most viable way to address these types of challenges is to reform global financial institutions, to provide more funding for carbon-neutral infrastructure that better protects these countries from hurricanes and wildfires.
Mme Djossaya said these reforms are crucial, but Canada and its peers should not shirk their own responsibilities.
She highlighted the existence of an underfunded program in Burkina Faso, designed by young adults, which ensures that families displaced by climate change can ensure their children continue their education. It all relies on a network of schools in various regions which can integrate children who have had difficulties and who have moved during the school year.
This program is implemented in a region where young people have limited opportunities and are recruited by terrorist groups.
“The only way to succeed […] is to really put children and young people themselves at the heart of the solutions,” believes Mme Djossaya.
” We do not have time to lose. We must act now and ensure that we shape a world that will remain livable for generations to come,” she continued.
International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen would not confirm whether Ottawa would further increase its current aid allocation, but he noted that the United Nations has placed Canada among the leaders of a project to defend the objectives of sustainable development.
“Canada is actually a leader in this area,” Hussen said. Now is not the time to change course…we are halfway there and if we work hard we can get the job done. »