FREETOWN: Young delegates from across Sierra Leone formally adopted the Sierra Leone youth climate statement on 8 October 2026, closing two days of youth-led debate at the Local Conference of Youth (LCOY) in the capital and sending a unified set of recommendations on climate action, green finance and inclusive policymaking to the country’s decision-makers.
The conference, organised by the Youth Climate Council under the theme “Inclusive Climate Action: Leaving No One Behind”, brought together young climate advocates, government representatives, development partners and private-sector stakeholders at the Freetown City Council Main Hall on 7 and 8 October.
Two days of youth-led debate in Freetown
Conference convener Hassan Hindolo Senesie told delegates that young people must move beyond advocacy and become active drivers of environmental transformation. He called for stronger youth leadership, inclusive participation and practical, community-driven solutions to climate change, according to reports from the event.
Panel sessions tackled green job creation and sustainable finance, with contributions from Lovetta Yatta Juanah, Foday Mark Kamara, Billy Harry Sesay and Mohamed A. Kamara, moderated by Foday Kanneh. Later sessions addressed inclusivity, waste management and policy integration.
Keynote speaker Abubakar Bakley Sesay stressed the importance of embedding gender, disability and cultural heritage into climate initiatives. Circular economy advocates and policy experts outlined practical pathways for youth engagement in National Adaptation Plans and urban sustainability, while the C40 Cities Youth Team introduced virtual avenues for urban climate action. A workshop led by Foday Kamara of the Youth Climate Council Global Alliance helped delegates identify professional roles in the expanding green economy.
What the Sierra Leone youth climate statement says
The adopted statement integrates priorities gathered during nationwide consultations across the country’s North-West, Northern, Southern and Eastern regions. It sets out youth-driven recommendations on three fronts:
- Climate action: practical, community-level interventions that respond to local realities, from coastal protection to waste management.
- Green financing: better access to funding for youth-led projects and stronger links between climate finance and young entrepreneurs.
- Inclusive policymaking: meaningful youth participation in climate decision-making, with explicit attention to persons with disabilities, rural communities and marginalised groups.
Organisers said the next steps will involve active engagement with government authorities, international partners and local stakeholders to turn the statement’s recommendations into tangible policy outcomes.
From mangroves to policy tables
The summit was preceded by a hands-on Pre-LCOY programme: young volunteers joined community residents to plant hundreds of mangrove seedlings at Ojuku Junction in Allen Town, along the vulnerable Freetown coastline. Supported by industrial sponsor Leone Rock and implemented by Nature for Mangroves, the initiative was framed by organisers as a direct response to rising sea levels and coastal degradation, according to reports.
Delegates repeatedly described climate change not only as an environmental concern but as a development challenge with direct consequences for livelihoods, public health, food security and the future of young people.
LCOY conferences are youth-led climate gatherings held under YOUNGO, the official children and youth constituency of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), giving young people a platform to shape climate strategies at local, national and international levels.
FAKTA
- Event: Local Conference of Youth (LCOY) Sierra Leone 2026, 7–8 October 2026, Freetown City Council Main Hall.
- Organiser: the Youth Climate Council; convener Hassan Hindolo Senesie.
- Theme: “Inclusive Climate Action: Leaving No One Behind”.
- Outcome: formal adoption of the LCOY26 National Youth Statement on 8 October, built on consultations in four regions.
- Pre-event: community mangrove planting at Ojuku Junction, Allen Town, with Nature for Mangroves.
As with other youth climate gatherings this year — including the Global Youth Summit for Climate Change 2026 set for Nairobi this December — the Freetown conference showed young people moving from protest to policy: drafting statements, planting mangroves and demanding a seat at the table where climate decisions are made.
