GEO-6 for Youth: Africa


Key Messages


Many environmental policy instruments encourage and provide for stakeholder involvement in both policymaking and implementation. The extensive wealth of knowledge that these stakeholders possess contributes to good policies and strong execution of these policies. Such broad stakeholder involvement is however dependent on the availability of funds and strong leadership.


As key stakeholders in society, African youth must be on the frontlines of environmental policymaking and implementation in Africa.


It is critical for African countries to implement green economy policies that result in increased youth employment. It is, however, incumbent on young people to keep investing in self-organisation that will enable them to contribute optimally towards policy implementation.


Young environmental specialists and scientists are especially well-positioned to make significant contributions towards environmental legislation, for example by filling the data gaps necessary for policymaking.


Making young people part of the policymaking processes could bring in a fresh breath of ideas that would help in successful policy implementation and enforcement.


6.1 Introduction


Youth are capable of proactive engagement in environmental conservation including in terms of environmental policy development and implementation.


Today, there are many youth-led organisations that are working to effectively and sensibly manage the environment. In recent years, climate change effects have drastically increased and this can be felt in all parts of the world to different devastating extents (United States Environmental Protection Agency [US EPA] 2017). In cooperation with governments and NGOs, many young people are effecting change to tackle these issues through national policy development and implementation at the local and national levels. The mobilization and support of youth groups by these organisations have had rather successful results in several areas. These types of collaborations need to be maintained for more achievements.


6.2 The policymaking process and youth stakeholders


Environmental challenges are on the rise, often crossing national boundaries (Bleicher 1972; Saxema 2015). The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) was established in 1972 and is the leading global environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda (UNEP 2019a).


The Brundtland Report that set the global sustainable development agenda emphasized that sustainability pathways will require firm policy changes (Hauff ed. 1987). This requires the deliberate unfolding of a policy cycle that often begins with agenda setting. This entails the


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identification of a problem or issue that requires government action. After the agenda has been set, options for addressing these problems are explored. Thirdly, decision makers lay out a policy roadmap that must then be executed through policy implementation. Finally, policy results are then evaluated as per initial policy goals. Fruitful policy implementation results from diverse stakeholders whose values and interests may be different. This policymaking process can only succeed if stakeholder dynamics are decisively addressed (UNEP 2009) (Figure 9).


Figure 9: Policymaking Cycle Evaluation


Agenda Setting


Implementation


Decision Making


Source: Adapted from UNEP (2009)


Policy Formulation


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