The International
Break Free From Plastic
Youth Summit

April 14-15, 2023

Virtual

Interpretations available in Vietnamese, Indonesian, Spanish, Portuguese, and French.

The Break Free From Plastic Youth Summit 2023 celebrates youth power at this pivotal point in the fight against plastic pollution.

We’re bringing young leaders, youth organizations, and allies together to learn about the Global Plastics Treaty, to understand what it means for young people, and to learn how to campaign for ambitious treaty demands as countries fight for their citizens’ future in this crucial negotiation series.

Registrations are closed, the event has reached maximum capacity.

The International Break Free From Plastic Youth Summit aims to:

1
Organize capacity-building sessions for young people to gain knowledge on the Global Plastics Treaty
2
Provide a platform for sharing opportunities to support global, national, and local campaigns leading up to the succeeding INCs
3
Develop alliances with other movements and sectors for lobbying for an ambitious and legally binding plastics treaty

The summit is open to the following participants:

Youth-led organizations

Youth-focused organizations

Youth Leaders and Individuals age 30 and below

Agenda

The Break Free From Plastic Youth summit includes skillshares and workshop sessions. View the program below.

Day 1 April 14, 2023

Starts at

7:00PM Manila

4:30PM New Delhi

1:00PM CEST

11:00AM Accra

8:00AM Rio de Janeiro

More time zones

Plenary Session: Plastic Pollution Primer

For decades, plastic pollution has been contributing to the triple planetary crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. In this session, we will learn about the history of plastic, its extractive life cycle, and what civic society groups from all around the world are doing to combat it.

Abhishek Rawat, Founder of Nature’s Buddy, India
Skye Male, Community Engagement Manager of Break Free From Plastic, Global

45 min Skillshare, Main Hall
30 min Workshop, Breakout Groups w/ facilitator

Break

10 min

The Global Plastics Treaty

In March 2022, the United Nations approved an agreement to create the world’s first-ever global plastics pollution treaty. The mandate sets the stage for governments to negotiate a comprehensive and legally binding treaty that will cover measures along the entire life cycle of plastic. In this session, we will learn about the technicalities of this treaty, its coverage so far, and what it means for organizations that are working to end plastic pollution for good.

Shashank Prabhu (Facilitator), Waste Warriors, India
Rachel Radvany, Program Associate for Plastics Policy of Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL)
Sirine Rached, Global Plastics Policy Coordinator, GAIA
C. Semee Rhee, Global Policy Advisor of Break Free From Plastic

45 min Skillshare, Main Hall
30 min Workshop, Breakout Groups w/ facilitator

Break

10 min

Putting youth leadership on top of the climate agenda

The youth have shown that they have what it takes to expedite the climate movement’s demands, and inspire more people to join in the movement. In this session, we will learn about the ways that the youth can elevate their voices in the treaty process, and utilize the platforms they need to maximize their contributions.

Santhiya Ananth, Policy Coordinator for UNEP MGCY

30 min Skillshare

Day 1 Conclusion: Highlights and Takeaways

10 min, Main Hall

Day 2 April 15, 2023

Starts at

7:00PM Manila

4:30PM New Delhi

1:00PM CEST

11:00AM Accra

8:00AM Rio de Janeiro

More time zones

Campaigning for an Ambitious Global Treaty

Activating our voices to influence different stakeholders in the process is key in campaigning for an ambitious Global Plastics Treaty. But how do we do this, exactly? In this session, we will learn about ways that different campaigns in different work streams contribute cumulatively to the global treaty process, and learn about how we can leverage these campaigns in influencing policy.

Eah Antonio (Speaker for Reuse Revolution) Asia-Pacific Comms Officer of Break Free From Plastic
Jacob Attakpah (Speaker for Campus Projects) of Green Africa Youth Organization
Sybil Bullock (Speaker for Corporate Campaigning) Associate Campaign Manager of Break Free From Plastic

45 min Skillshare, Main Hall
30 min Workshop, Breakout Groups w/ facilitator

Break

10 min

Global and Regional Opportunities

After learning about all the ways that we can link our energy and passion towards our greater goal of ending plastic pollution, how do we figure out our possible next steps? In this session, we will have a discussion on how to get further involved with opportunities that are already happening in different regions.