Kyrgyz activists meet with UN Secretary-General
IDEA Editorial Team
On July 2, 2024, UN Secretary-General António Guterres met with activists from Kyrgyzstan during a visit to the Issyk-Kul region to discuss ideas for addressing environmental crises. The meeting showcased practical solutions from young people and discussed the importance of small, sustainable actions to mitigate climate change.
Kamila Usmanova's presentation emphasized the need to involve youth in decision-making processes on various climate issues.
Kamila Usmanova, Communications Officer at IDEA Central Asia, said.
"What worries me is that young people are not involved in decision-making processes, even though young people make up a third of the population in our country."
Today, Kyrgyzstan is experiencing more and more environmental disasters due to climate change, but the state is not prepared for these consequences. We know from the latest news that mudslides in the south have claimed more than 10 lives, including children and teenagers. These deaths could have been avoided.
The state does not include young people in the processes of prevention of emergency situations, in this regard, young people have to work only with the consequences of environmental disasters. Thus, young people actively collect donations and go to dangerous places as volunteers.
We hope that this meeting was an opportunity to unite with like-minded people for further work within the framework of eco-advocacy!