Road to Resilience: Children and Youth in Action (by invitation)

Children and youth are often disproportionately affected by disasters in multiple ways. Given their unique vulnerabilities and potential contribution to attaining resilience, children and youth need to be systematically included in decision-making processes, including through national and local DRR strategies and plans. As most countries in the Europe and Central Asia region have completed or are in the process of finalizing their national DRR strategies and plans, children and youth have a specific role to play in ensuring their inclusivity in planning and implementation.  

This forum will address vulnerabilities associated with age and gender while highlighting the role of children and youth in reducing disaster risk and the impacts of climate change. In addition to their capacities being leveraged as agents of change within their families and communities, their knowledge, creativity, and passion will be harnessed to address some of the policy and technology problems around DRR and climate change adaptation that will be tackled in the EFDRR. The event builds on previous, ongoing, and future efforts to leverage, empower, and promote children and youth engagement and contribute to a strengthened, inclusive, child-focused resilience, DRR, and climate agenda in Europe and Central Asia.

Over 30 children and youth from Europe and Central Asia will be engaged in the event and develop the Children and Youth Declaration for Road to Resilience, which will be adopted and shared in the Regional Platform and integrated into the EFDRR Roadmap 2021- 2030.