Global Indigenous Youth Summit on Climate Change

EDUCATION & TRAINING 

What is being proposed?

The Global Indigenous Youth Summit on Climate Change (GIYSCC) is a “virtual dialogue by, for and among Indigenous youth with global inclusion” on August 9th – circling the Earth with the Sun across three 8-hour time zones in 24 hours (00:00-24:00 GMT) on the International Day of the World’s Indigenous PeoplesGIYSCC was initiated in 2022 by Professor Berkman as the coordinator in collaboration with the International Network for Government Science Advice (INGSA) – Africa as part of their Science Advice Skills Development Program (SASDP) mentee-mentor initiativeGIYSCC-2023 was hosted by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) with 1300+ registrants from 112+ nations across 88+ languages and partners globally, including Springer-Nature (which donated $15,000) and the International Institute of Science Diplomacy and Sustainability (IISDS) at UCSI University in Malaysia (founded by Professor Zakri)An outcome of GIYSCC-2023 was the invited Nature Communication written by GIYSCC Indigenous Youth Leaders that Indigenous Youth Must Be at the Forefront of Climate Diplomacy, introducing the legacy concept of a Global Partnership of Indigenous Youth (in the spirit of SDG 17).   GIYSCC-2024 was hosted by FutureEarth with 800+ registrants from 100+ nations across 230+ languages GIYSCC-2025 also will be hosted by FutureEarth, which has created additional venues for dialogues among GIYSCC Indigenous Youth Leaders in conjunction with the Sustainability Research and Innovation (SRI) Congress virtually in Panama (2023) as well as in-person in Finland (2024) and United States (2025)  This GIYSCC Initiative also involves production of the third volume in the Informed Decisionmaking for Sustainability book series published by Springer, with GIYSCC Indigenous Youth Leaders as the co-editors of Climate Action with Global Inclusion: Perspectives, Lessons and Observations from Indigenous Youths on Climate Adaptation and Resilience, involving more than eighty submitted abstracts from Indigenous youth from Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America and South America, including the Middle East, Arctic and Oceania with Small Island Developing States (SIDS) as a particular focus.   

Who is involved?

Professor Berkman will continue to coordinate the GIYSCC Initiative in close collaboration with INGSA-Africa and INGSA-Asia, involving more than 40 Indigenous Youth Leaders globally across Region 1 (Asia/Oceania), Region 2 (Africa/Europe/Middle East/Arctic) and Region 3 (South America, North America, Arctic) At the recent World Science Forum in Budapest, as regional chapters, INGSA-Africa and INGSA-Asia introduced a joint proposal to INGSA in view of SASDP and GIYSCCThe proposal was very well received during the Board meeting, and members from other Chapters showed interest in both the SASDP and the GIYSCCTherefore INGSA Asia and INGSA Africa will move forward with the collaboration.”  INGSA-Asia was founded by Professor Zakri, commending the sustainability considerations with INGSA-Asia to establish a “permanent host institution” for GIYSCC at the International Institute of Science Diplomacy and Sustainability (IISDS) at UCSI University in MalaysiaAdditionally, in view of SDCI-IISDS interconnections, Professor Berkman is a Visiting Distinguished Professor at IISDS through 2026There are important contributions with this initiative that could from all SDCI Directors.   

How will this initiative be executed?

Immediate funding is needed to support the GIYSCC Indigenous Youth Leaders and their dialogue initiatives ($50K), including Volume 3 editing, open access and managementGIYSCC fundraising would include submission with the International Science Council (ISC) Science Missions for Sustainability and Rockefeller 17 Rooms initiatives. There is growing interest in the GIYSCC Initiative from diverse funding sources, including the National Science Foundation (NSF) through a Small Grant for Exploratory Research (SGER) that would be entertained from SDCI by an NSF program manager involved with SRI-2025, who would provide discretionary support up to $100K for two years to develop a GIYSCC sustainability hub in the United States. 

Why is this consistent with our mission? Where is impact driven?

The GIYSCC Initiative, in particular, is a science-diplomacy case study that tests as well as applies, trains and refines the theory, methods and skills with informed decisionmakingThis initiative involves diverse metrics to assess and enhance common-interest building applications around the world, as noted “with global inclusion.  SDCI is providing leadership to facilitate global dialogues among Indigenous youth (minimizing language and technology barriers) to help build and sustain a Global Partnership of Indigenous Youth.

GIYSCC Projects

Founding Partners

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