On 8 August 2026, at the YMCA International Hotel Chiang Mai, the Thai Life Skills Development Foundation (TLSDF) organized the activity “Joining Forces among Civil Society Organizations to Promote Sustainable Advocacy for Children’s Rights and the Environment.” The activity was held under the project to strengthen the capacity of the Child Rights Youth Activist (CRYA) Network Working Group in advancing children’s rights and promoting a clean, safe, and sustainable environment.
The activity aimed to promote the participation of children and young people in environmental issues under the project “Promoting Child and Youth Participation in Line with General Comment No. 26 (GC26) of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.” It provided an opportunity for civil society organizations (CSOs) and youth networks to strengthen their knowledge, understanding, and exchange of experiences on children’s rights and the environmental crisis, particularly the Triple Planetary Crisis: climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss.
Participants learned about the principles of GC26, which emphasizes children’s right to live in a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment. They also exchanged experiences and jointly developed approaches to support child- and youth-led environmental advocacy and policy engagement, with the aim of ensuring that children and young people have safe spaces to express their views and participate meaningfully in decision-making processes. The activity brought together 14 representatives from 11 civil society organizations and 12 members from 6 CRYA youth groups, for a total of 26 participants.
The activity marked another important step in bringing together civil society organizations, child rights practitioners, and youth networks to develop knowledge, strengthen collaboration, and establish approaches to support child- and youth-led advocacy and policy engagement. The organizers hope to build on this collaboration and continue their efforts in the future so that the voices of children and young people are heard and meaningfully included, while jointly advancing children’s right to live in a clean, healthy, safe, and sustainable environment.
