Youth Climate Advocacy

This report by the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) examines youth climate advocacy in Africa, focusing on the roles of civil society, government, and international networks. It documents how young people are transitioning from symbolic participants to active agents of change through networking, social media, and policy engagement, while highlighting the systemic barriers—such as the digital divide and tokenism—that hinder meaningful intergenerational equity in climate governance.

• Youth climate advocacy in Africa is increasingly organized through multi-level networks—local, national, regional, and global—which are essential for amplifying voices and coordinating action. Examples include the Nigerian Youth Climate Coalition (NYCC), the African Climate Alliance (ACA) in South Africa, and the African Youth Initiative on Climate Change (AYICC) regionally.
• Social media and virtual platforms have become critical tools for youth to bypass traditional barriers, coordinate protests, and engage with policymakers, though a significant digital divide persists. In Africa, 774 million people lack internet access, and 580 million lack electricity, which marginalizes those without smart devices or data.
• There is a significant gap in national climate policies regarding youth and intergenerational equity. A review of 160 Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) found that only 42% directly reference 'children' or 'youth', and only 8 refer to 'intergenerational injustice' or 'future generations'.
• Effective capacity building for youth must move beyond basic information sharing to include leadership training, practical project implementation, and technical skills for policy negotiation. Examples include the Blue Economy Internship Programme in the Seychelles and the You-Lead Collective in South Africa.
• Youth are increasingly using legal frameworks to hold governments accountable for climate inaction. This is evidenced by a landmark complaint filed by 16 young people to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child and lawsuits by the Ogoni Youth Federation against the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) in Nigeria.
• To achieve a just transition, governments must shift their conceptual view of youth from being 'vulnerable beneficiaries' to 'active agents of change' and decision-makers. This requires providing realistic time, training, and financial resources to sustain youth-led organizations.

APA

BENKENSTEIN, A., CHEVALLIER, R., KOSCIULEK, D., LEBEA, D., & WORTH, K. (2020). Youth Climate Advocacy. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Special-Report-benkenstein-et-al-002.pdf

Chicago

BENKENSTEIN, ALEX, ROMY CHEVALLIER, DESIRÉE KOSCIULEK, DITEBOGO LEBEA, and KIARA WORTH. Youth Climate Advocacy. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2020. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Special-Report-benkenstein-et-al-002.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=BENKENSTEIN |first1=ALEX |last2=CHEVALLIER |first2=ROMY |last3=KOSCIULEK |first3=DESIRÉE |last4=LEBEA |first4=DITEBOGO |last5=WORTH |first5=KIARA |title=Youth Climate Advocacy |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=November 2020 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Special-Report-benkenstein-et-al-002.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{benkenstein2020youth, author = {BENKENSTEIN, ALEX and CHEVALLIER, ROMY and KOSCIULEK, DESIRÉE and LEBEA, DITEBOGO and WORTH, KIARA}, title = {{Youth Climate Advocacy}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2020}, month = nov, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Special-Report-benkenstein-et-al-002.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }