This op-ed piece is part of a series written by Fellows of the Salzburg Global Seminar program “Public Policy New Voices Europe”
This op-ed was written by Jessica Antonisse, Claudia Batz, Rebecca Bassey, Etinosa Erevbenagie – Johnbull, Noma Nkala, and Great Udochi.
Inclusive communities value and provide equal opportunities for the participation of groups experiencing marginalization; allowing them to be meaningfully engaged in public decision-making, including policy formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
There is growing recognition that the societies that we live in are not conducive to active participation for all citizens. Recent interest in climate (in)action, civil unrest, and political instability has proved that we need to engage affected groups more strategically.
Inclusive communities cannot be nurtured by safeguarding outdated systems. Rather we must promote diversity of thoughts and experiences and welcome new practices and approaches to foster what we describe as “inclusive communities.”
By working towards fixing the system, rather than altering the people who are from marginalized groups, we can offer an alternative to the status quo of minority rule and tokenistic engagement of groups experiencing marginalization.
In the current world, only the privileged few have the power to make decisions and politically engage, due to the unequal power imbalances that are deeply rooted in our system. This is particularly apparent in international negotiations with the overrepresentation of men - in the infamous leadership photo at the 27th Conference of Parties (COP27), where only seven out of the 110 world leaders were women.
Since 1995, only four women have been elected as COP president, despite growing evidence that climate change disproportionately impacts women’s and girls’ livelihoods, health, and safety - augmenting existing gender inequalities.
The compounding impacts of global climate change and the considerable demographic and social change across the globe spark a big question: are our systems equipped to address climate change? If not, is there a political will to adapt them to address environmental change and strengthen resilience?
From our discussions and research, unequivocally, we deemed better cross-collaboration as a pathway to building inclusive communities. Rather than simply altering the practices of the people that are excluded from politics, the goal should be to adapt our current system to be more hospitable to various demographics.
Today the world is home to 1.2 billion young people aged 15 to 24 years, accounting for 16 percent of the global population. Although the largest demographic, young people are not traditionally at the center of political decision- making, posing a barrier to building inclusive communities. Where we have seen progress, it has been the result of tireless advocacy, often at the expense of mental health, to gain the trust of political leaders and be seen as ‘experts’ that deserve a seat at the table.
At COP27, the Egyptian presidency announced several steps pursuant to its commitment to ensuring the voices of youth and future generations were included by hosting the first- ever Children and Youth Pavilion, introducing a Youth Envoy to the process, supporting COY17 to remove the barriers that normally affect inclusive and meaningful participation of young people. Even more importantly, these were reflected in the Sharm El Sheikh Implementation Plan – with a call to action for similar mechanisms to facilitate integration at future COPs.
These initiatives have not only fostered cross-collaboration between youth, but it has also created the space for young people to co-create with policy makers, to hold them to account for their lack of ambition and commitment to climate change mitigation and adaptation. The fruition of alliances, including the Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform (LCIPP) and the UNFCCC constituency of Youth Non-Governmental Organization (YOUNGO) over previous years, have been valuable mechanisms. They ensure that individuals who cannot travel to COP equally have a say in collective positions brought to the formal negotiations.
Having a seat at the table is not enough, especially when there are two tables. Young people were granted access to the COP premises and were able to reach decision-makers to some extent, but they were kept out of the negotiation rooms, which positioned them as observers.
We need to further improve the engagement of youth in formal negotiations. This can be achieved by the provision of funding to join country delegations and by planning and funding capacity-building initiatives in the lead-up to COP. Unfortunately, the request of having future COP Presidencies facilitate financial support for implementing the COY and the annual youth-led dialogue was not considered.
To build inclusive communities, we need to implement these actions across the board, scaling up our efforts to achieve collective goals together rather than working in silos. This is relevant not only in climate policy but in other domains of public policy, as building better alliances, promoting better leadership, and developing a system that encourages active participation from all people, no matter their background or identity, is fundamentally important for effective public policy.
If we prioritize this, we will achieve a remarkable impact, reframing who leads by transferring power to societal groups that are classed as disadvantaged.
“An inclusive community values and serves the basic needs of all its members, including communities experiencing marginalization. Inclusive communities promote civic engagement and provide equal opportunities for public participation and representation in decision-making processes. They are built on trust and respect and foster a sense of belonging and acceptance. Individuals can fulfill their human right to express opinions on issues that affect their lives without fear of exclusion and discrimination.’
Learn more by watching our pitch for the policy challenge: "Levers of Systems Change for Inclusive Communities"
