The Africa Climate Resilience Summit, held in Nairobi under the theme “From Climate Crisis to Climate Resilience in Africa,” convened policymakers, scientists, civil society, Indigenous leaders, and youth delegates. Organized by the Pontifical Academies of Sciences and Social Sciences (PAS/PASS), CIFOR-ICRAF, NASAC, FARA, and regional African partners, the summit created a platform where diverse voices shaped Africa’s vision for resilience.
Representing YPARD and FARA, Kofi K. Acquaye joined a high-level panel on youth inclusion in climate-resilient agriculture. He introduced the R-E-A-L framework—highlighting challenges of Resources, Education mismatch, Access to decision-making, and Limitations of social norms—underscoring barriers faced by youth, particularly young women. The session reinforced that addressing these structural issues is essential for meaningful climate action.
The summit endorsed youth as co-leaders in climate-resilient agriculture and advanced key commitments, including:
Guided by Pope Francis’s call for a Universal Protocol for Resilience, the summit bridged science, ethics, faith, and local knowledge. Youth were not only participants but active contributors to the Africa Concluding Statement, ensuring their perspectives will shape both continental and global climate processes.
YPARD emphasized that young people must be recognized as co-architects of solutions, not passive beneficiaries. From Nairobi to Rome, and from local hubs to international diplomacy, YPARD reaffirmed its commitment to embedding youth voices into food systems transformation and climate governance.
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