Source: UNISDR Disaster Risk Reduction
Young talent responds to the challenges of the future. On April 30th, youth representatives gathered for the second Regional Consultation organized by the Youth Network for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), in collaboration with the Major Group for Children and Young People, to exchange experiences and deepen their commitment to climate action and disaster risk reduction.
The urgency to reinforce community resilience was one of the main conclusions of the preliminary results of the 2025 Youth and DRR Survey, which points out the priorities of the new generations in the region. At the same time, the mid-term review of the Sendai Framework highlighted the need to strengthen the implementation of initiatives at the local level. This underscores the opportunity to expand stakeholder and community participation, and to enhance collaboration between governments, young people, and civil society.
‘Disaster risk reduction is not only the responsibility of young people, but a shared commitment of society as a whole,’ said Saskia Carusi, Deputy Head of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) – Regional Office for the Americas and the Caribbean. Her statement summarizes the spirit of the day and connects directly to one of the pillars of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, which especially promotes the participation of young people as key actors in building communities with the capacity to respond to and recover from disasters. ‘Youth should not only be heard but actively included in decision-making processes; their leadership is indispensable for safer and more resilient communities,’ added Carusi, underlining the need to move towards more inclusive governance in the face of risk.
The Sendai Framework clearly points the way: ‘Children and young people are agents of change and should be given the space and modalities to contribute to disaster risk reduction, in accordance with legislation, national practice and curricula.’ Creating spaces for youth participation in defining strategies is not only a matter of generational justice, but also a key factor for more inclusive and sustainable risk reduction.
This event is the result of the work driven by the Network since the Regional Youth Declaration, presented in 2023 during the VIII Regional Platform for DRR in the Americas and the Caribbean, and reflects the joint effort of more than 600 members from across the region.
As a next step, these inputs will be integrated into the Civil Society Declaration to be presented at the 8th Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in Geneva. This document will amplify youth voices to the international community, as well as set the roadmap for the Youth Network for DRR in the implementation of its action plan 2024-2026.