On 20 August 2020, APCEL and the Energy Studies Institute (ESI), with the support of the National Youth Council, hosted a webinar, ‘Youth at International Environmental Conferences: The First and Last Generation?’ The event was held in support of the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment’s Climate Action Week (15 – 21 August 2020).

The event featured the following panellists:
Ms Cheryl Cadeline Lee, Singapore Youth for Climate Action (SYCA)
Mr Don Sandev Ferdinando, Yale-NUS College
Ms Priscilla Tan, graduate student at University of Oxford (MSc Nature, Society and Environmental Governance)
Ms Kathlene Yeo, BYOBottleSG
Mr Karl Png, Singapore Youth Voices for Biodiversity (SYVB)
Ms Mika Tan, Global Youth Biodiversity Network (GYBN)

And was moderated by:
Mr Eric Bea, Researcher, APCEL, NUS Law
Ms Melissa Low, ESI, NUS

The two-hour Zoom webinar was attended by 130 participants comprising students, researchers, industry practitioners, civil society and Government officers. Participants shared their thoughts candidly, providing interesting insights on their experiences and answered questions from the audience on what to expect at these conferences and how they shape their understanding of policymaking mechanisms.

Photo credit: Cheryl Lee

Ms Lee, who attended UNFCCC COP23 and COP25 shared on the challenges she faced in obtaining funding as well as the logistics involved to attend COP. She was inspired to help fellow youths organise side events to showcase youth climate projects after having listened to fellow participant’s personal stories.

Photo credit: Don Sandev Ferdinando

Mr Ferdinando shared on the youth’s role in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals. He pointed out that youth and non-state actors play an important role in highlighting what is and is not working on the ground; and fill the monitoring and evaluation gap of blanket government initiatives.

Photo credit: Priscilla Tan

Ms Tan highlighted how she navigated the complex COP venue and negotiations. She shared on the importance of preparing to attend COP by reading extensively about latest developments and having regular chats and debriefs with other Singaporean youth in attendance.

Ms Yeo attended the Oslo Act #ForNature Global Online Forum as an invited speaker earlier this year. She represented the Major Group for Children and Youth and apart from being allotted time to speak during the online forum, was empowered to make formal inputs and partake in consultations. Although unlike other panellists who attended environmental conferences in person, Kathlene shared that the virtual/online format was still engaging and that she plans to continue to engage with delegates that have reached out to her following her speech.

Photo credit: Karl Png

Mr Png and Ms Tan participated in the UN Convention on Biodiversity Open Ended Working Group 2 in 2020. In a recorded message, Karl shared that he had been nominated by the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) through the ASEAN Youth Biodiversity Programme (AYBP). He was given the opportunity to be involved in formal inputs to the process.  He shared on SYVB’s work to empower Singapore youths to have a voice in the decision-making process for biodiversity locally and globally. He added that Singapore youth are vocal on issues related to biodiversity, including on protection through policies and enforcement, education and youth empowerment, public communications and engagement, and that they recognise the interconnectedness of different issues including that of climate change and biodiversity loss.

Ms Tan also attended meetings of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity & UN Commission on Sustainable Development. She related her experiences in attending meetings and working with Government stakeholders and regional bodies to further the agenda on conserving biodiversity.