HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — Out of 2,000 applicants, Guam son Javan Santos has secured a spot as a delegate at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, to be held in December.
“This is going to be my second time attending the U.N. climate conference,” Santos said. “The last one was in Egypt. In that experience, I saw very little representation of Pacific Islanders in the space, and I saw very little representation from those in the territories.”
His participation was made possible through the International Youth Climate Delegate Program, which aims to build capacity for youths in areas most vulnerable to climate change.
“I was happy to find out that they are willing to represent us from Guam and the territories and have someone as part of their delegation and allowing me to use my voice at this climate conference,” Santos said.
As a U.S. territory, Guam doesn’t get to send a delegate to the U.N. conference, according to Santos. He said being chosen is a big responsibility.
“My hope is that I can work with the Leon Guerrero-Tenorio administration and work with the Guam Legislature and, most importantly, listen to the people of Guam that are living in the aftermath of Typhoon Mawar … and experiencing the impacts of climate change every day, and hear what they have to say, hear what solutions they would like to see and bring that to this international conference,” Santos said.
He said the 100 delegates are invited to build capacity on climate negotiations and attend the 28th Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC, where they’ll work on international climate policy solutions.
A strong voice
Santos said he will utilize a part of Guam’s culture – storytelling – at the conference.
“I think storytelling is going to be a huge component,” he said. “Us as islanders and Indigenous people, oral traditions and storytelling are a huge part of how we understand our island and impacts. I listen to my parents and grandparents and family back home, and I hear their stories of, ‘Before, the shoreline didn’t use to go this high,’ or, ‘As a kid, Guam didn’t use to be as hot as it is now.'”
That, combined with his experience in the 31st Guam Youth Congress, the Legislature and current work in the field of climate policy and youth empowerment in Washington, D.C., will all play toward giving Guam a strong voice among the nations of the world, he said.
“I think there’s a lot of mentors and leaders I look up to in Guam’s history that have really contributed. A lot of elders, manåmko’ that started me on this path to do this work and supported me through it,” he said. “I am going to focus on making more opportunities for people that are even younger than I am, so that way I’m not the only one in the room, and we can have a multitude of voices working toward solutions.”
Climate activists attend a rally against fossil fuels outside the World Bank and International Monetary Fund headquarters in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 2023.
