From Frontlines to Negotiation Tables: Indigenous Youth Raise Community Issues on Global Stage
- Asia-Pacific Youth
- 1 hour ago
- 3 min read
Last November, two Indigenous youth from Bangladesh and Nepal brought their grassroots perspectives to the global stage at the annual climate conference dubbed as the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29). With support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UNFCCC Regional Collaboration Centre (RCC) for Asia and the Pacific, Youth Empowerment in Climate Action Platform (YECAP), and Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP), they were able to amplify the wisdom of their communities at the international level, highlight urgent climate realities, and chart a path forward rooted in meaningful youth engagement in climate governance.
As the climate crisis continues to disproportionately impact Indigenous Peoples and local communities, Sabba Rani Maharjan from Nepal and Satej Chakma from Bangladesh stepped into global climate discussions for the first time at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan. Representing their communities and future generations, they joined the Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform (LCIPP) meetings with a mission: to share the lived experiences of Indigenous youth and ensure their knowledge, struggles and solutions are acknowledged and integrated into climate policies.
From youth roundtables to multi-stakeholder dialogues, they voiced the importance of embedding Indigenous values and traditional knowledge in adaptation efforts and resilience building. Their engagement helped ensure that Indigenous youth voices are now being recognized as critical inputs in decision-making processes and policy development.
“Participating in international discussions such as COP29 no longer becomes a choice, but a necessity and a compulsion,” said Sabba. “Whatever happens at the negotiation table deeply affects our grassroots communities, and that is why this has become our fight, too.”
Sabba, a climate activist and member of the Asia Indigenous Youth Platform (AIYP), emphasized the need for transformational adaptation rooted in cultural preservation. On a panel organized by the UNFCCC RCC Asia Pacific, Sabba joined the representatives from Fiji, the Asian Development Bank, and the Stockholm Environment Institute, and spotlighted Nepal’s “Sithi Naka,” a traditional water source cleaning festival that brings elders and youth together in climate solutions grounded in intergenerational knowledge.
Meanwhile, Satej, a young Indigenous rights defender and Executive Editor of Indigenous Peoples’ News (IPNEWS Bangladesh), used COP as a platform to highlight the link between climate change and human rights violations faced by Indigenous communities. For the past seven years, he has reported on issues such as land grabbing, environmental degradation, and Indigenous women’s rights—often overlooked topics in national climate dialogues. His work has exposed the effects of illegal stone extraction in Chittagong Hill Tracts and highlighted the resilience of young Indigenous entrepreneurs navigating the impacts of a changing climate.
“Spaces like this allow us to share our stories, learn Indigenous knowledge from other communities, and take those learnings back home to strengthen our resilience,” said Satej. “It was an eye-opener that Indigenous youth could be empowered, with our voices heard and considered in international discussions.”
With newfound insights from COP29, Satej plans to scale the impact of IPNEWS Bangladesh by integrating climate narratives into community journalism, advocating for Indigenous-led climate interventions, and building cross-border alliances with other Indigenous youth through networks like the Asia Young Indigenous Peoples Network (AYIPN). For him, global spaces like COP are not an end goal, but a bridge to accelerate local action.
For both Sabba and Satej, COP29 was more than a milestone—it was a motivation. The experience affirmed that Indigenous youth are not only guardians of tradition but also agents of change. With access to platforms like YECAP, support and facilitation by UNFCCC RCC Asia Pacific, and opportunities to speak up at COP and LCIPP, they are ready to lead, inform policies, and mobilize their communities for a just and sustainable future.
As the world moves forward in tackling the climate crisis, Indigenous youth must be at the heart of the solution. Meaningful youth participation, especially from Indigenous communities, can take place by bridging ancestral wisdom with contemporary action. Indigenous young leaders bring unique, community-driven strategies to the global stage. Supporting their participation is not just about inclusion—it is about justice, sustainability, and the shared survival of Indigenous heritage and innovation.
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