Dominican Ashfred Norris set to attend UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

Eighteen year old Ashfred Norris of Dominica presents his country report, detailing the impacts of Hurricane Maria on the island and outlining youth involvement in recovery efforts

​Dominican Ashfred Norris is among two Caribbean youth delegates who will attend the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference.
 
According to a press release from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Norris and Jamaican Michael Morgan are advocating for increased youth involvement in climate change planning.
 
Both of them took part in the recently concluded Youth Climate Change Conference (YCCC) in Jamaica, and thereafter travelled to Bonn, Germany, as participants in the Conference of Youth (COY 13) and UNFCCC’s COP 23, supported by the J-CCCP.
 
The press release reads “During COY 13, the pair were members of a working group, which produced an output document, and worked diligently to ensure that the Caribbean and a Youth Statement on Climate Change was issued at the end of YCCC featured in the document”.
 
Norris, a student of the Dominica State College, cited statistics highlighting how Hurricane Maria impacted social structures to include health and education.
 
The release adds, “He maintained that Youth voices are important, but it is just the first step. When we look at the Ladder of Youth Participation, we see that the lowest levels are manipulation and tokenism. These are where youth seem to have a role but, it is mostly ceremonial or, for show. The highest level is youth-initiated decisions, and this is what we want to attain.”
 
J-CCCP is a regional initiative working in eight Caribbean countries, in order to reduce dependence on fossil fuel imports, setting the region on a low-emission development path, as well as improve the region’s ability to respond to climate risks and opportunities in the long-run, through resilient development approaches, that go beyond disaster response to extreme events.