The Ocean and Climate Youth Ambassadors Programme
The programme With 35 years’ experience organizing educational voyages, Peace Boat strongly believes in the power of personal experiences and testimony as a call to action and regularly uses its ship as a venue to share such first-hand experiences. Peace Boat visits many small island developing states (SIDS) where participants learn about climate change and marine degradation. Peace Boat’s Ocean and Climate Youth Ambassadors Programme, announced at the Ocean Conference in June 2017, brings youth leaders from states on the front line of climate change and marine degradation to travel onboard Peace Boat’s ship, engaging in capacity building and bringing their message to citizens and government representatives through the voyage. In 2017, the first edition of the programme brought together youth from Fiji, Marshall Islands, Maldives, Seychelles, Trinidad and Tobago and Belize. In 2018, youth from Fiji, Palau, TimorLeste, Mauritius, Singapore, Seychelles and Barbados joined the ship to take part in the second edition.
About Peace Boat
Established in 1983, Peace Boat is a Japan-based international NGO which holds Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations (UN). It promotes peace, human rights, equal and sustainable development and respect for the environment. Peace Boat carries out its main activities through a passenger ship that travels the world.
Small island nations at the frontline of climate change Climate change and ocean degradation affect development of all nations, regardless of location or size of economy. Yet, no other group of nations are more vulnerable to its devastating effects than Small Island Developing States (SIDS). With the Ocean and Climate Youth Ambassadors Programme, Peace Boat brings the voices of SIDS to different ports in Europe, Canada and the US to raise awareness and call for action on our climate and oceans.
Guests educators
The Ocean and Climate Youth Ambassadors are joined onboard by guest educators to assist in their capacity building, including Ms. Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) 2010-2016.
Contributing to the global discussion During the voyage, the youth leaders engage with local, regional and national governments, civil society and the scientific community taking part in awareness raising and outreach events in the ports they visit. Participants give testimony of their experiences and the impact of climate change and marine degradation on their communities, through Talanoa, defined in Fiji’s vision for COP23 as ‘inclusive, participatory and transparent dialogue that builds empathy and leads to decision making for the collective good’.
For more information: pbglobal@peaceboat.gr.jp
www.peaceboat.org · www.ecoship-pb.com