Call for Climate Justice and Indigenous Wisdom - Youth Representative at the Summit of the Future

Niria Alicía Garcia, a Xicana human rights advocate from the United States, climate justice organizer, educator and storyteller, said her generation's hearts are breaking as it endures the impacts of climate disaster that could have been prevented. “Our mother earth is hurting, and she needs our help. Worldwide our waters and sacred places are being desecrated. Corporate greed and war are pushing life to the verge of extinction. Global governments and politics are void of spirituality, of morality and basic respect for life,” she said. Speaking about the Pact for the Future, she highlighted that while it mentions words like sustainable development nearly 300 times, words like children, Earth and future generations are mentioned less than 60 times. “Do Indigenous Peoples still not exist to you? Are we not the stewards of 80 per cent of the world’s biodiversity?” she emphasised. However, she concluded on a hopeful note, stating firmly, “make no mistake that we have the medicine that this world needs and that with the help of creation, we will turn the tide for good.” ------------------------------- The Summit of the Future (22-23 September 2024) is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to enhance cooperation on critical challenges and address gaps in global governance, reaffirm existing commitments including to the Sustainable Development Goals and the United Nations Charter, and move towards a reinvigorated multilateral system that is better positioned to positively impact people’s lives. The Summit of the Future is a high-level event, bringing world leaders together to forge a new international consensus on how we deliver a better present and safeguard the future. Effective global cooperation is increasingly critical to our survival but difficult to achieve in an atmosphere of mistrust, using outdated structures that no longer reflect today’s political and economic realities. World leaders will convene at the United Nations to adopt the Pact for the Future, which will include a Global Digital Compact and a Declaration on Future Generations as annexes. Screenshot credit: UN Photo/Loey Felipe Website: https://www.un.org/en/summit-of-the-future Programme: https://www.un.org/en/summit-of-the-future/programme


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