The children and youth declaration on building resilience for a sustainable future: Accelerating the implementation of the Sendai Framework

The Children & Youth Declaration on building resilience for a sustainable future is the product of a comprehensive, consultative, inclusive, and youth-led process grounded in the Children and Youth 2025 Roadmap. The Declaration outlines 11 Global Children & Youth Calls to Action for the 8th session of the Global Platform for DRR 2025 and includes specific Regional Calls to Action from American and the Caribbean, Asia-Pacific, Africa, Europe Central Asia, and Arab youth voluntary commitments.

The Roadmap was brought to life through a series of coordinated activities, including a global survey, regional consultations, and regional engagement held during the 2024 International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (IDDRR) and the UNDRR-organised regional platforms for disaster risk reduction. These are the key recommendations that emerged from these consultations:

1. The low to moderate knowledge on the climate crisis and associated disasters, and the low level of disaster preparedness among a significant number of young people call for the need to increase climate education efforts and disaster preparedness within schools and communities.
2. Young people's inclination to digital technology calls for the optimisation of technology and social media for more effective information dissemination and early warning systems.
3. Participants call for governments to build more resilient and inclusive communities through economic empowerment, investment in climate and disaster resilient infrastructure, and enhancement of disaster preparedness and response efforts and long-term climate adaptation actions.
4. Young people's eagerness to lead projects and significantly contribute to climate action and disaster risk reduction must be complemented with sufficient financial and mentorship support from adults.