Children and adolescents deliver letter with recommendations to G20 leaders

Brazilian adolescents deliver a letter with recommendations to G20 leaders during a high-level event. The letter reinforces the importance of ensuring the participation and rights of children and adolescents in global discussions.

Julia, Maria Eduarda, and Ynara* participated in the G20 Social event, "High-Level Event: G20 and the Rights of Children and Adolescents," organized by Save the Children and Plan International Brasil, where they delivered a letter with recommendations from children and adolescents to the authorities of Brasil and South Africa. 

Present at the handover were Macaé Evaristo, Minister of Human Rights and Citizenship of Brasil; Wellington Dias, Minister of Social Development and Assistance, Family and Fight Against Hunger of Brasil; Mongezi Mnguni, Director of Economic Development at the Department of International Relations and Cooperation and G20 Coordinator for South Africa; Flavio Debique, Director of Programs and Advocacy at Plan International Brasil; Rotimy Djossaya, Executive Director of Global Policy, Advocacy and Campaigns at Save the Children; Renato Godoy, Government Relations Manager at Alana Institute; Alessandra Nilo, C20 Sherpa in Brasil; and Felipe Hess, G20 sub-Sherpa at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The letter is the result of a global consultation involving 50,000 children and adolescents from 60 countries, conducted by Plan International and Save the Children, with support from the "Children in G20" group. The document brings together their voices and highlights urgent issues such as climate change, just economies, combating hunger and poverty, global governance reform, and promoting gender and racial equality.

Read the letter below:

Distinguished Leaders of State and Government of the G20, 

We, children and adolescents from around the world, presented this letter to G20 leaders to demand the recognition of the rights of children and adolescents in situations of social and economic vulnerability in this process. Your decisions shape the present and future we inherit, and we cannot accept that our needs and aspirations are ignored. 

This letter reflects the perspectives of thousands of children and adolescents from around the world. Different realities, but with common challenges. Climate change, hunger, poverty, and social and economic inequalities are not issues for adults only—they have devastating impacts on our lives, our health, well-being, and ability to grow and learn. We can no longer wait for empty promises. We are living the consequences of inactions, and the urgency of a change can no longer be underestimated. 

Our recommendations to G20 leaders are clear: 

1. IMMEDIATE CLIMATE ACTION: The impact of climate change is brutal and present. Droughts, wildfires, floods, and pollution destroy our physical and mental health, threaten our access to clean water, and compromise our food, especially in vulnerable communities. We demand that the G20 act with priority in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, protecting forests, and involving us in climate decisions at local, national, regional, and global levels. We feel the urgency to act—you should too. 

2. FIGHTING HUNGER AND POVERTY: Food insecurity is not a distant statistic for us; it is a cruel reality. Black, Indigenous, rural children, and girls suffer disproportionately from a lack of food and opportunities to study. We demand policies that ensure food security and assistance for homeless or displaced children. We want a childhood where fighting for survival is not our first life lesson. 

3. EFFECTIVE POLITICAL PARTICIPATION: We no longer tolerate being ignored. We participate in meetings and discussions, but our proposals are often disregarded. We demand real spaces for training and political participation, access to technology, and involvement in all political decisions that directly impact us, including at a global level. 

4. ECONOMIC EQUITY AND FAIR INVESTMENTS: Poverty and inequality hinder us from growing with dignity and equal opportunities. We demand large investments in education and support for our families so that we can build a dignified future. 

5. GENDER EQUALITY AND ETHNIC-RACIAL JUSTICE: Girls, black and Indigenous children, and adolescents face violence and exclusion on a daily basis. Education must combat stereotypes, and public policies need to support these groups economically. We will not tolerate inequality. 

We hope that this letter gives each of you the responsibility to act. We demand a real transformation in the education system, equality, the eradication of hunger and poverty, climate justice, and the creation of programs that prioritize the well-being of every child and adolescent. We want childhood and adolescence to be preserved in their fullness and peace. This is the minimum necessary to build a fairer present and future and a more sustainable planet on which we can grow healthy and safe. 

With the strength of our voice and the strength of our hope, 

Children and Adolescents from Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, Asia, and Europe

__

The "Children in G20" group includes Save the Children, Plan International, Alana Institute, ANDI – Communication and Rights, Childhood, FamilyTalks, José Luiz Egydio Setúbal Foundation, Promundo Institute, Maria Cecilia Souto Vidigal Foundation, International Center for Research and Policy on Childhood (CIESPI/PUC-Rio), Brazilian Coalition to End Violence against Children and Adolescents, Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health (ASEc+), Soulbeegood, Vertentes - Mental Health Ecosystem, Global Mental Health Action Network, Living Trees Institute for Conservation and Environmental Culture, Jô Clemente Institute, National Early Childhood Network (RNPI), Orygen, ItotheN, and Catalyst 2030.

* For safeguarding reasons, the surnames of the adolescents will not be disclosed.

*Translated by PGET-UFSC