Paper short abstract:

This paper investigates how individuals from marginalized populations, particularly youth (ages 18-24) and indigenous groups, democratically engage in international negotiations and decision-making processes on sustainable development. Case study used: Creating the Sustainable Development Goals.

Paper long abstract:

This paper investigates how individuals from marginalized populations, particularly youth (ages 18-24) and indigenous groups, democratically engage in international negotiations and decision-making processes on sustainable development. Using the creation and implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a case study, the research assesses successes and roadblocks that such individuals experience as they negotiate with delegates or UN staff. One of the main elements of the paper is to investigate how technology either helps or hinders marginalized individual’s or group’s access to and engagement in UN negotiations, with a specific focus on recent communication technologies of online meeting platforms (e.g., Zoom), phone and computer applications that advance communication (What’s App), and the use or impacts of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on such interactions. The paper argues that the future of international negotiation and diplomacy requires a concerted effort to engage across political and social boundaries with many different entities beyond nation-states (from individuals to non-profit organizations to corporations). The paper relies on in-depth qualitative interviews of youths and indigenous peoples who have been active in engaging with the United Nations (UN) on sustainable development activities through the Major Groups and Other Stakeholders mechanisms (MGos). There are already some clear trends coming out of the interviews thus far conducted, namely, that there are structural roadblocks to youth and indigenous engagement with UN negotiations at conferences and in committees that include 1) lack of funding and resources for youth and young people to engage both in-person or remotely, 2) lack of delegate commitment to include marginalized voices, 3) donor interests swaying the conversation (and influencing marginalized groups to follow one path even when they are included), 4) the challenges of technology which does not only mean technology access, but the negative impacts of technology on inclusion, 5) language barriers (while the UN has six official languages, it is still very difficult and expensive to work in or translate into other languages, even within those six, and thus the default language is English), and finally, 6) lack of respect and a tendency toward tokenism for youth and indigenous peoples. Closer examination and implementation of the ways in which the UN is currently working with young people and indigenous populations can more accurately represent marginalized voices and ensure support in implementing sustainable development policies.

Paper short abstract:

The paper highlights the crucial role of young environmentalists as vital political agents in global sustainability, based on Amartya Sen's Capability Approach. It calls for inclusivity, acknowledging their capabilities and rights in addressing environmental challenges for a sustainable world.

Paper long abstract:

The practice of environmental activism carries significant risks in various regions of the world, especially in nations as Colombia and Brazil, where the private interests of political, business, and illegal armed groups clash with environmental concerns. These groups often view activism as a threat to their economic, political, or territorial interests and resort to extreme tactics such as intimidation, kidnapping, torture, and even murder to silence activists. Among the most vulnerable to these dynamics are young environmentalists, whose voices and actions are often dismissed and undervalued within political structures due to age biases and adult-centric dynamics. In Colombia's context, the struggle for environmental protection is particularly intense. The country's rich biodiversity is threatened by various factors, including deforestation, illegal mining, and armed conflict. Environmental activists, including young people, face risks such as threats, attacks, and killings for their advocacy efforts.

Drawing upon the normative proposal of Amartya Sen´s Capability Approach, this paper focuses on the necessary recognition of young environmentalists as political agents and essential actors in the defence of the environment and global sustainability. Recognising young people as political agents entails understanding their capabilities to influence and act in the public sphere, as well as to drive concrete changes in environmental policies and practices. Encouraging active participation of young people in the political arena can lead to the formulation and implementation of policies prioritising environmental protection and sustainability, benefiting not only the current generation but also future generations. Moreover, by acknowledging the political capability of young environmentalists, it is possible to challenge prevailing age-related prejudices that hinder their involvement in decision-making processes and impede the achievement of sustainable development goals.

Adopting a capability perspective when assessing the contributions and potential of young activists allows for a more inclusive and comprehensive approach to addressing environmental challenges, considering their capabilities, aspirations, and rights as essential stakeholders in the pursuit of a sustainable and equitable world. Therefore, it is of paramount importance to foster an environment that values and empowers young activists, enabling them to contribute effectively to the preservation and enhancement of the natural environment. Furthermore, this research highlights a significant theoretical gap regarding studies on environmental activist youth from the Global South. The majority of research focuses on the experiences of youth from the Global North, perpetuating hegemonic practices and overlooking the unique perspectives and realities of youth from the Global South actively engaged in environmental advocacy.

Paper short abstract:

This research—global in scope—is based on a series of long-form interviews with youth activists from marginalized groups. The aim is to better understand the barriers to and strategies for successful social and political change, as perceived by young activists from 11 countries.

Paper long abstract:

This research—global in scope—is based on a series of long-form interviews with youth activists from marginalized groups. The aim is to better understand the barriers to and strategies for successful social and political change, as perceived by young activists from 11 countries.

The project comprises 45 long-form interviews from 11 countries on five continents. Together with a geographically expansive literature review, this qualitative research gives us a clearer understanding of the strategies used by marginalized youth activists and the obstacles that they face as social and political change agents. We find that these are remarkably consistent in the literature and across all of our samples. These obstacles include age-based hierarchies, weak communication between youth and elites or older adults, criminalization of youth culture or activism, discrimination, outsider interference, hollow lip-service from adult leaders and governing elites, and the role of parents. Based on this collection of challenges, we concluded that: the process of creating change is 1) mediated by outside actors; 2) captured before it can begin; 3) a political performance; and 4) rife with epistemic injustice (Kosko et al, JHDC, 2022, presented at HDCA in 2022).

Yet young people are famously resilient and our 45 interviewees report employing a variety of strategies to get around, or at least confront, those challenges. These strategies include bypassing the state; leveraging digital media to facilitate resistance; employing English language skills to gain access to international platforms and audiences; embracing more horizontal leadership and membership structures; expanding their networks well beyond national borders; and building alliances across intersecting causes. The consistency among these strategies across vastly different geographies and cultures suggests that there may be a coherent set of capabilities important for youth to engage in social and political activism. These might include capabilities to be creative, to accept discomfort, to connect with peers across social barriers, to build alliances, and to learn new skills quickly.

While the interviewees employ a stunning array of tactics to defeat the many barriers thrown in their way, a great deal of frustration and pessimism remained. Said one Moldovan activist “Valori şi principia, valori şi principia – values and principles, values and principles. It’s all [the political elite] want to talk about, but they do nothing for the people. We are trying to do something, but they don’t hear us. They are only talking to each other.”