UNICEF called Francisco Vera, a 13-year-old Colombian activist, As the “First youth defender of the environment and climate action” in Latin America and the Caribbeanin the context of World Environment Day, which is celebrated this Monday.

“I am very proud of this opportunity that UNICEF is giving me today, especially for Latin America and Spain and which allows us to continue to raise our voices together to continue working for climate justice and environmental peace,” Vera said in a statement. statement released Monday. by the UN agency.

For his part, the regional director of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for Latin America and the Caribbean, Garry Conille, said that he “Impressed by the passion, determination and articulation of Francisco, just 13 years old, for fighting climate change.”

He added that UNICEF is “excited to partner with him as an advocate for environmental and climate action to ensure that the voices of our region’s youth are heard by those who can and should make the right decisions.”

The universal Tech4Nature project promotes the conservation of animal species and combines technology with care for the environment

Vera, a young champion of the right to a “healthy environment”, born in Bogotá and currently living in Spain, joins a group of young champions of UNICEF’s environment and climate action that aim to “Every boy and girl grows and develops on a greener, healthier, more sustainable and safer planet.”

By joining the group, Vera “will have the opportunity to inspire more children and adolescents to be part of the change the world needs, but she will also be able to reach decision makers to demand children’s participation in decisions related to the environment and climate, which directly affect them, among other things,” UNICEF reports.

Vera is cooperating with UNICEF for the meetings and negotiations of the subordinate bodies of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (SB58) which, according to information, will take place from June 5 to 15, 2023 in Bonn, Germany.

This young activist has been doing informational work for years through the group ‘Guardians for Life’a movement that he himself created in 2019 to “promoting environmental awareness” and “encouraging new leadership”according to a 2021 post on UNICEF’s website.

According to UNICEF, “Thanks to his presence on social networks, a virtual environmental activism program and a network of schools, Francisco multiplies his fight for climate action, children’s rights, climate justice and human rights.”

“Every day, families and children in Latin America and the Caribbean suffer the devastating effects of climate change and environmental disruptions, whether from hurricanes, floods or droughts. Educating people, especially young people, about climate action is no longer an option,” Conille noted.