About LAC Week
From 27 June to 2 July 2022, the 2022 GLF Latin America & Caribbean Youth Week explored how young people across the region are taking matters into their own hands by protesting environmental and social injustices, challenging the status quo, creating safe spaces, and actively restoring their landscapes.
The week featured 30 young scientists, activists, and community leaders who provided critical insights into their realities on the ground, their struggles against extractivism, neo-colonization, oil spills, deforestation, and ways to reclaim space in their landscapes.
For young people, environmental and social justice in the region can only be achieved by embracing the rich diversity of the peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean. Beyond providing an opportunity to spotlight the growing body of action for flourishing landscapes and climate justice
in Latin America and the Caribbean, the event helped build bridges between different young professionals and activists in the region.
Key messages from the LAC Youth Week outcome statement
All activities and sessions were developed in close collaboration with regional partners whose messages aimed to inform and influence ongoing discussions and political processes, as well as to encourage young people in the region to take action for environmental and social justice.
- Environmental degradation in Latin America and the Caribbean can be attributed to the dominant extractivist developmental path relevant to most of the economies in the region.
- Indigenous Peoples’ knowledge systems should inform decision-making and policy both regionally and globally.
- Ecosystem conservation and restoration efforts should be informed and led by local communities.
- Reforestation efforts should be based on solutions rooted in decoloniality and self-determination.
YIL and its regional partners will continue to strengthen their relationships and support the leadership showcased by visionary young community builders and ecosystem restorers, Indigenous and traditional communities, and smallholder farmers and fishers.
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