Youth voices and innovations on climate resilient urban food and water systems

The 90-minute session will create a space for young people living in urban communities in the Global South to be heard. It will showcase knowledge gained about the urban food and water systems of the cities to date, and provide an opportunity for direct dialogue over climate related issues and priorities and various ideas on how to address them. In addition to discussing what to do to strengthen urban resilience, the event will explore how to do it by engaging and involving young people in decision making.
The will bring together youth activists and city officials from several city regions, involved in three programs: Dreamtown’s ‘Cool Waters: Youth-led climate adaptation along Nairobi rivers;’ ‘Urban Futures: Youth action for inclusive, climate-resilient urban food systems’, managed by Hivos, in partnership with RUAF and local organizations; Safe and Sound Cities, that aims to improve young people’s safety and wellbeing in urban environments, led by Global Infrastructure Basel (GIB) Foundation, in partnership with ICLEI. Both Urban Futures and Safe and Sound Cities are funded by Botnar Foundation.
After the opening presentations (10 minutes) that introduce the programs and theories of change, there will be two panel sessions. Participants will meet panelists from cities across Africa, Asia, and South America, that will advocate for greater youth participation in urban development processes (2x40 minutes).
The first panel will present a range of innovative examples of transformation of food and water systems in an urban setting, where young people taking action. It will showcase inspiring examples of technologies and partnerships between young people, governments and the private sector.
The second panel will consist of facilitated dialogues between local government officials with a role related to food systems or climate, and one people who are engaged in work to strengthen the sustainability and resilience of their city’s food or water system. The participants will share their perspectives on threats and major issues faced today, and will discuss possible ways to address them – through policies and practical interventions. Youth activists from the Urban Futures cities will share experiences of youth participation in food systems governance in their city. They will explain existing governance processes and platforms for making decisions on the food system, the extent of – and barriers to – youth participation, and their ideas to ensure youth voices are heard and acted upon. Towards the end of the panel discussion, the facilitator will invite a small number of questions from the audience.