For Public Release
As a global coalition of over 1,100 young people from 90+ countries, the Loss and Damage Youth Coalition has worked ardently since 2020 to hold world leaders accountable for meaningfully addressing loss and damage and amplifying the voices of frontline communities in decision-making processes.
Today, July 2nd, in Geneva starts the second meeting of the advisory board of the Santiago Network on Loss and Damage (SNLD).
The SNLD, as we’ve previously stated, remains of the utmost importance in overall multilateral loss and damage governance, catalysing the much-needed technical assistance to support vulnerable countries to avert, minimise, and address loss and damage, and is complementary to the Loss and Damage Fund
The first meeting of the advisory board has laid the foundations for us to believe this second meeting will continue the acceleration of the full operationalization of the Santiago Network and the actual process of providing technical assistance. Building from the outcomes noted in the first meeting, we hereby recommend to the Advisory Board of the SNLD to consider for their 2nd meeting the following:
- Enhance Inclusive participation in the decision-making process: With the host of the SNLD Secretariat being in an expensive, developed country, we are increasingly concerned about the SNLD meetings being inaccessible for those whose voice and priorities should shape the outcomes- vulnerable communities, youth, Indigenous peoples, and women from Global South countries. For example, many young people from the frontlines, including national delegations from the Global South have had their visas rejected or delayed. This has only exacerbated the rooted and systemic unfair inequity in the ways of organising these conferences and shaping outcomes. As such, we recommend the advisory board explore ways to encourage greater virtual participation from civil society particularly from developing countries, and – when possible – decentralise meetings with interactive participation and translations to leave no one behind.
- The interim secretariat should provide technical support as mandated by the Parties and make it viable, inclusive, and accessible to those who need it most in time. Vanuatu could be the first country to receive this support at its own request. Frameworks on developing support requests should be shared widely and be made accessible.
- Accelerate the full operationalization of the Network: This means setting a framework and timeline to move from the interim secretariat and ensure the Network has its full governance structures ready and robust to guide the work ahead.
- Transparency in communications which means making online meeting documents and decisions available to ensure everybody can keep up to date and respond when necessary.
- To clarify mandates and ensure that both the UNDRR and UNOPS respect their mandates which will ensure a fair distribution of responsibilities and effective decision-making.