Deadline: July 25, 2018 00:00 CEST| Apply here
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Eligibility: People aged 18–30

Mary Robinson Climate Justice Award 2018

For the third year in a row, One Young World is teaming up with Mary Robinson to support young leaders behind innovative and impactful climate justice initiatives that are preserving the earth for future generations.

The impact of climate change is not a distant threat, its effects are being felt right now by millions around the world in the form of rising sea levels, extreme weather systems and devastating droughts. The sorry truth is that those most affected by climate change are those who are least responsible for its causes and least well equipped to withstand its effects.

A person living in the US creates 118 times more carbon dioxide emissions than a person living in Nauru but this small Pacific island is one of the nations at risk of disappearing due to rising sea levels.

The situation might sound gloomy but the good news is that there are hundreds of thousands of people and organizations working to tackle climate change and address the global imbalance it is creating. This is the climate justice movement and One Young World is proud to be a part of it.

If you are leading a climate justice project within your community or organization, apply for the Mary Robinson Climate Justice Award today.

This year’s edition of the award seeks to support projects that focus on climate justice. Climate justice links human rights and development to achieve a human-centred approach, safeguarding the rights of the most vulnerable and sharing the burdens and benefits of climate change and its resolution equitably and fairly.

Climate justice is informed by science, responds to science and acknowledges the need for equitable stewardship of the world’s resources.

Benefits of applying

• A £5,000 grant to support or launch your project.
• A fully sponsored delegate place to attend the One Young World Summit 2018 in The Hague, Netherlands. During the Summit, you will appear alongside Mary Robinson to present your initiative to the world’s media and 1,300 fellow change makers from 196 countries.
• Mentorship from Mary Robinson and members of her network

Project requirements

Your project should advance the following criteria:

• A project that sets out to conserve or sustainably manage natural and cultural heritage for use by current generations but also with a specific objective of preserving these for future generations
• A project or action at a local, national or international level that sets out to advocate or promote the representation of future generations or act as guardians for future generations.
• Directly addresses sustainable development and/or climate change with a particular emphasis on balancing the needs of present and future generations – this could be through financing, frontline services, advocacy, education, communication, legal/policy change or a business solution

Some indicative suggestions are:

• A climate or development initiative that addresses poverty reduction and has included ways to measure the benefits and impacts of the initiative for both present and future generations
• An initiative that sets out to raise awareness on the need to address the current challenges of poverty reduction while ensuring future generations enjoy the same natural and cultural resources as we do today

Projects should be clearly associated with one or more of the seven principles of climate justice:

• Respect and protect human rights
• Support the right to development
• Share benefits and burdens equitably
• Ensure that decisions on climate change are participatory, transparent and accountable
• Highlight gender equality and equity
• Harness the transformative power of education for climate stewardship
• Use effective partnerships to secure climate justice

Additional assessment criteria that will be applied in awarding the Prize are:

• The ambition of the project – how impactful your project is in balancing the needs of present and future generations
• Relevance – the project is grounded in climate justice
• Community value – the project applies to a community/ communities/stakeholder group who are directly impacted by climate change or will be more adversely impacted in the future

Interested in applying for the Mary Robinson Climate Justice Award 2018? Register your participation by following the registration link and taking the suggested steps.

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