Youth in the country have been encouraged to always take part in issues of climate change and disaster risk management.
This has been said during a panel discussion which was held on Thursday, 12 October, 2023 in Blantyre, organised by the National Youth Network on Climate Change.
According to Dominic Nyasulu who is National Coordinator for National Youth Network on Climate Change, the discussion was aimed at highlighting issues surrounding climate justice and disaster risk management.
He further encouraged the youth to share solutions to climate related challenges that are affecting people in the country and of course the globe at large.
“As young people we are looking at the future, what would our future be like? So we are making sure that young people are involved, engaged so that at the end of the day, we actually Influence decisions.
“We can use evidence to influence the policy, but also climate actions that are ambitious but also that are agent to address the same issues that we’re talking about,” said Nyasulu.
Director of the Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services Lucy Mtilatila concurred with Nyasulu by saying that youth need to be part of the solutions on climate change and disaster risk management issues.
Mtilatila further expressed commitment that the department will make sure that youth are part of the decisions on climate change and the disaster risk management.
“It was really good to engage with the youth. I like the structure where they want to make sure that they are participating in all levels of climate change and the disaster risk management.
“So from the discussion, I believe it’s really important to engage them, to work with them and to make sure that all the levels that we have, the youth are really participating,” said Mtilatila.
Jesuit Centre for Ecology and Development (JCED) project Coordinator, Tione Mathews Phwandaphwanda, said youth need to be in the forefront caring and restoring the environment so as to minimize the impacts of climate change.
