Scouts call for urgent action on climate change at COP27
After years of unmet promises, the 27th edition of the UN’s climate change conference saw civil society and progressive negotiators calling for implementation instead of new commitments.
Scouts joined thousands of civil society organisations at COP27 to call on world leaders, climate negotiators, and business leaders to take urgent action on climate change.
The mission of World Scouting’s COP27 delegation is to amplify the voices of 57 million Scouts worldwide in climate action and negotiations.
The Scout Movement will continue to dedicate its voice to influence change and educational programs to empower environmentally committed young leaders."
Scouts' message for COP27
Scouts have been caring for the environment for over a century. Outdoor skills and adventures are at the heart of Scouting and lead us to action, like reducing pollution, regenerating forests, and advocating for the planet at global conferences.
At COP27, our key message was a call for the implementation of existing promises:
Read more about Scouts' call to action here.
Scouting’s presence at COP27
Scouts participated in over 20 events throughout the week, including eight speaking engagements, multiple media interviews, and countless networking opportunities. Scouts also hosted three events in the Blue Zone, the main area of COP27 where negotiations take place. These highly-visible events allowed us to gain traction for youth's call to climate action, and gain visibility for the passionate work being done by Scouts for over 100 years already.
Our main events were:
- 57 million Scouts making the world’s largest coordinated youth contribution to the SDGs: Scouts from Egypt, Brazil, Mexico and Bangladesh took the stage at the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Pavilion to share about local contributions to the SDGs, and how this contributed of over 2 billion service hours towards the SDGs in the last decade.
- Transforming Education and Sustainable Development through Youth Climate Action: This official Blue Zone side event featured a majority of youth speakers from World Scouting, Restless Development and WAGGGS throughout. The event was opened by Omnia El Omrani, Youth Envoy for the COP27 President, and included discussions with leaders from the UN Environment Programme, Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs, World Food Programme, UNESCO, Education Commission, and FAO. Watch the recording here.
- Intergenerational Solidarity for Climate Justice: Scouts joined forces with partners WAGGGS, Restless Development, and the Future Leaders Network to host this interactive session stressing the importance of working together, across generations, to achieve our climate goals. This event was hosted at the Children & Youth Pavilion. We were pleased to welcome the Kenyan Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Forestry, Hon. Soipan Tuya with a Kenyan delegation. Watch the recording here.
Scouts were also featured on this set of panels:
- Climate Education Coalition Launch at the Climate Education Hub.
- Extreme Hangout Opening Panel: Attention! World Leaders: No More Cop Outs
- Unleashing the Power of Education for the Future of the Planet hosted by the Aga Khan Foundation and UNESCO
- Youth Engagement in Climate Change Adaptation: Experiences and lessons learned from the Adaptation Fund, an official Blue Zone side event
- Announcing the award winners at the imaGen Ventures Event
Scouts also had the opportunity to meet with the Egyptian Minister of Youth and Sport, Dr. Ashraf Sobhy to speak about the Scouts climate action in Egypt and around the world.
Scouting partnerships at COP27 and beyond
The importance of partnerships for achieving the SDGs cannot be understated. Throughout our week at COP27, Scouts strengthened existing relationships by co-hosting events with partners, and initiated disussions with potential partners and supporters. We also amplified youth voices by creating content with the UN Museum, UN Youth Envoy, and EarthX television.
The launch of the Climate Education Coalition is an important collaboration with over 100 organisations worldwide committed to education in all forms - including non-formal education. We'll work together to help young people understand and engage in environmental sustainability and regeneration practices and initiatives.
World Scouting’s delegation at COP27
Scouts can rest assured that they were well represented throughout COP27. Our most sincere thanks to our Youth Representatives Grecia Barcena Calderon from Mexico and Kazi Zubair Hossain from Bangladesh, as well as Anita Valente da Costa from Brazil, our Project for the Planet winner, for accepting our invitation to represent Scouts worldwide at COP27.
We also thank the Egyptian Scout Federation for their support throughout the week, including International Commissioner Mohammed Omar and representatives Ahmad Maher, Mohammed Behairy and Elshamkh Mazk.
Finally, thank you to all the Scouts and Scouting supporters that we met throughout the week. Let's continue our collaboration for a greener world.
Scouts continue climate action post-COP
While we may be waiting for true climate action from COP leaders and negotiators, Scouts continue their work every day to build a better world.
We are building on a century of action with a momentum that is only increasing day by day as the urgency of climate change becomes greater.
More than ever, we are committed to greater sustainability, lower emissions, and the restoration of biodiversity loss. We'll continue our community efforts to achieve the SDGs (sdgs.scout.org) and continue advocating with governments and businesses for change at the highest levels.
Get involved: Partner with us or join the Earth Tribe
Scouts, Scout Leaders and National Scout Organizations can participate in World Scouting's global Earth Tribe initiative by implementing projects for the Tide Turners Plastic badge (with UNEP), Champions for Nature badge (with WWF), or Scouts Go Solar badge (with Solafrica).
Organisations that want to collaborate with Scouts can contact us or reach out to their country’s National Scout Organization.
The participation of Youth Representatives at events was made possible with support from Alwaleed Philanthropies, a key partner in Scouts for SDGs, an initiative in which Scouts are making the world’s largest coordinated youth contribution to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
