Indonesian student writes to UN Chief addressing gap between indigenous youth & world

An Indonesian international relations student named Nadya Zafira wrote a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressing the inequalities exposed by the COVID pandemic, as well as how indigenous peoples and youth are marginalised in global discussions about climate change, as per the reports of UN News. Nadia is a student of Gadjah Mada University, Indonesia.

In the letter, she stated that the world has drastically changed in the last two years and not all at once, but over a period of time. According to UN News, the letter further read, while all countries face the same deadly virus, the pandemic has clearly not proven to be 'the great equaliser,' as some countries emerge victoriously and others trail behind. However, the pandemic is only the tip of an iceberg that is melting at an alarming rate in today's era of accelerating environmental degradation.

Global poverty, environmental degradation, gender inequality must be addressed

Global poverty, environmental degradation, gender inequality, food insecurity, and many other concerns must be addressed by the United Nations, government leaders, civil society organisations and ordinary citizens, according to UN News. Nadya further stated in the letter that last year, her hometown, Jakarta, was hit by heavy rain and catastrophic flooding and while she was fortunate enough to be able to stay at home, many others were not so fortunate and were forcibly relocated.

According to her, youth play a key role in climate action precisely because this generation is born into a world where environmental injustices are all they have seen. She also said that despite the fact that the globe is full of brilliant, young climate activists from urban backgrounds, she feels they owe it to indigenous communities to provide alternative viewpoints and methods in natural resource management, according to UN News. To close the gap between indigenous youth and the rest of the world, they may start by bringing indigenous youth into the conversation and ensuring that they have access to broad venues.

Providing basic literacy education to indigenous adolescents strengthens their ability

She also believes that providing basic literacy education to indigenous adolescents strengthens their ability to communicate with people outside their communities and convey much-needed ideas. Zafira stated that these initiatives have the potential to raise awareness about issues of environmental justice, such as land dispossession and forced displacement, which is common in indigenous communities but generally disregarded by urban youth, according to UN News. UN Resident Coordinator in Indonesia, Valerie Julliand responded to Nadia's letter which was shared on Instagram.

(Image: AP, Facebook/@ZafiraNadya)