Speakers at a roundtable yesterday unanimously demanded to mobilise the loss and damage fund for climate-vulnerable developing countries in the upcoming COP28.

To mitigate the effects of climate change, it is crucial to effectively operationalise and disburse the fund, established in the previous COP27, to the most affected countries, they told the discussion titled "Bangladesh in COP28 and Generation Hope Campaign: Youth and Children Voices Shaping Climate Discussion".

Save the Children organised the discussion at The Daily Star Centre.

COP28 is scheduled to be held from November 30 till December 12.

The youth who were born into the crisis created by climate change are the worst victims of the situation, said youth climate and environmental activist Aruba Faruque.

"To mitigate the loss and damage in the most affected countries, a fund was created. But it is yet to be made operational," she said

Aruba urged for inclusion of youths in the negotiation, discussion, and policymaking processes, stressing that leaving children and youths behind in the fight against climate change and justice is unacceptable.

Yudhishtir Chandra Biswas, global coordinator of Youth Net Global, noted that despite being at the forefront as a vulnerable community due to climate change, youths have remained widely neglected.

"All decisions, including project design and implementation in COP28, must take into consideration the greater cause of youths," he said.

Amanullah Porag, South Asia mobilisation coordinator of 350.org, pointed out that the issues of youths were not considered when adopting the Nationally Determined Contribution.

"We have failed to place meaningful agendas for youths, not caring to include them in the COP agenda, leaving them largely ignored," he said.

Abul Kalam Azad, special envoy at Climate Vulnerable Forum, said developed countries sometimes forget to understand the adverse impact faced by the most affected countries.

"We have been repeatedly presenting our issues. Now it is time for youths to raise their voices before the world," he said, advocating for the establishment of a youth platform to address their concerns globally.

Iftekhar Mahmud, special correspondent of Bangla daily Prothom Alo, highlighted that while children were brought to the frontline to showcase vulnerabilities, their issues remained unaddressed during policy implementation.

He called for establishing children-friendly infrastructure and preparing budget analyses considering their concerns.

Reefat Bin Sattar, deputy country director (Interim) at Save the Children, called for systematic change to address climate change issues.

Nayoka Martinez-Bäckström, first secretary and deputy head of Development Cooperation and Environment and Climate Change, mentioned that they are working with the government of Bangladesh to address climate change issues and investing in the renewable energy sector for transition to green energy.

The event was also addressed by Sheemtana Shameem, director-ACCM at Save the Children; Nauman Zahur Haque, senior advisor, Climate Change Adaptation at Save the Children; Sumaiya Binte Selim Sudha, programme coordinator at the ICCCAD; and youth activist Fariha S Aumi.