For me, UNEA-7 was a journey of layered homecomings. As a Congolese-Rwandan newcomer to Canada, arriving in Nairobi was a bittersweet return to a region my family has long called home. The east is where my native connections were born, yet one we have been displaced from. Holding a passport that finally allowed me this return, I felt the profound weight of colonial borders and the complicated privilege of access, even as I stepped onto soil that whispers to my being.
The most defining theme for me was Indigenous leadership. In one powerful moment, a representative from the Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities major group stated in a plenary session: “These negotiation rooms are failing us with mechanisms that favour colonial and extractivist systems—systems that continue to see nature as a resource to be exploited.” Their words, echoing the struggles of Indigenous communities on Turtle Island, hit me with clarity. It made clear the gap between diplomatic dialogues and the material realities of the people safeguarding our collective ecosystems. I felt righteous anger, but also resolve. It reinforced that there can be no climate justice without centring the communities on the frontlines.
This moment matters deeply for Canadians and young people. In Canada, where resource extraction often proceeds without true nation-to-nation consent, this global echo is a direct call to action. For young people, it underscores that our fight for a livable future is intrinsically tied to the fight for sovereignty, rights, and decolonization. A responsibility we carry for past, present, and future generations. UNEA-7 taught me that while formal negotiations set the framework for our current world order, the true engine of change lies in offline gatherings, hallway conversations over chai, and grassroots alliances forged between impacted communities. It’s a reminder that our power lies not just in observing these spaces, but in building collective force outside of them.
I left knowing my work has only been further ignited. The layered thoughts and experiences I carried through the conference compound have made one thing clear: there is still so much to be done. We can use spaces like UNEA as a tool, but it is critical to remember they are not the only ones. In fact, the most excellent tools at our disposal exist in the spaces rarely highlighted in rooms of international diplomacy. It is our responsibility to engage, resource, and sustain them.
