Scottish Government at COP26: What was achieved?

Case Study: The Children’s Parliament

Context

Established in 1996, Children's Parliament is Scotland’s centre of excellence for children’s participation and engagement. It takes a children's human rights-based, creative approach to engaging children up to 14 years of age from diverse backgrounds across Scotland.

From October 2020 – March 2021, just over 100 Members of Children’s Parliament were involved in Scotland’s Climate Assembly, through a unique approach to integrate the views, opinions and ideas of children under the age of 16. Scotland's Climate Assembly published their full report on 23 June 2021, including 81 recommendations for how Scotland should change to tackle the climate emergency in an effective and fair way. The children’s 42 calls to action were integrated into this report.

What happened?

Ahead of COP26, Children’s Parliament worked with 14 of its Members (‘the Investigators’ involved in the Assembly) to develop the Climate Changemakers Toolkit. The Toolkit was designed for children across Scotland to support and empower them to influence elected representatives and decision-makers about climate action, ahead of COP26. The Toolkit was shared with every primary and secondary school in Scotland.

At conference itself, the 14 Investigators were amongst the youngest participants across numerous sessions, panels and fringe events sessions, panels and fringe events in Glasgow, Edinburgh and online. The children shared their powerful climate assembly calls to action with decision-makers, parliamentarians and activists across the world, and emphasised the importance of ensuring younger children are involved in climate assemblies, and (inter)national decision-making processes about the climate emergency more broadly. Following their participation in COP26, three of the Members of Children’s Parliament have set up a Children's Parliament Grove through Trees for Life. The Investigators also won the Youth award for their work with Scotland’s Climate Assembly in the Daily Record & Education Scotland Learning for Sustainability Awards.

The Scottish Government has committed to taking forward several of the children’s calls to action from Scotland’s Climate Assembly, including the roll out of sharing libraries across Scotland, a ban on single-use plastics, and committing to update and strengthen its Learning for Sustainability Action Plan to take full account of the children’s calls to action and adults’ recommendations.

What was the impact?

The activity of the 14 Investigators ahead of, and at COP26, ensured that children’s views, ideas and calls to action reached parliamentary, governmental and intergovernmental decision-makers at local, national and international levels, as well as across the private sector and civil society. This was enhanced by Children’s Parliament championing younger children’s views, ideas and calls to action across all its communications channels during COP26.

This mainstreaming of children’s participation in COP26 has contributed to the Scottish Government objectives of platforming marginalised voices and empowering Scottish children and young people to get involved in COP26 and climate action generally.

My favourite moment of COP26 was realising I was in the same room as adults from around the world who were important. I felt proud that my whole school was watching the Parliament event, even though I found it embarrassing at first. Once I was in there, I felt proud of myself for being there.

Dan, age 11, Clackmannanshire

My favourite moment of COP26 was in the Blue Zone. Tyler and I went to a talk and there was an adult speaking there who really inspired me. Afterwards she came up to me to tell me how inspired she was by Children’s Parliament and Tyler and I in the Blue Zone panel. It was amazing having an adult who inspired me tell me that I inspired them!

Nadia, age 12, West Lothian

Demonstrating the success of being the first national citizens’ assembly on climate change to have fully integrated children, and being able to discuss this with other countries and regions, has also contributed to the objective of enhancing Scotland’s role as a climate leader.

What are the next steps?

Following COP26, Members of Children's Parliament took forward their climate calls to action to the Net Zero Committee in Scottish Parliament, and the Scottish Cabinet, as part of the annual children and young people's Cabinet Meeting. Children's Parliament is working with the Scottish Government Learning for Sustainability team to involve children in producing a communication on why Learning for Sustainability matters to them to ensure that practitioners are encouraged to include Learning for Sustainability within their learning and teaching.

As the First Minister recognised in her comments after COP26, it is vital for the Scottish Government to hear and to amplify the voices of children and young people and for this government to continue to acknowledge that the climate change crisis is a children’s rights’ crisis.

In the Climate Change Public Engagement Strategy published in 2021 the Scottish Government committed to ensuring that the voices of children and young people are heard and help to influence policy design, including in the evolution of the Scottish Government's Let’s Do Net Zero marketing campaign by including children and young people in future marketing research.

Further, as part of the delivery of this strategy, the Scottish Government will partner with trusted messengers to extend the reach of communications to all in Scotland and, in particular, to those who are least engaged. Work with trusted messengers includes that of the 2050 Climate Group, who deliver climate leadership training, connect young people to policy development processes such as consultations, and raise awareness of climate change developments amongst Scotland’s young people. Collaborative working with a range of partner organisations will continue to support climate change education across Scotland.