The Just Transition Forum was held on the 9th of October in Prishtina, organized by the Energy Community Secretariat and GIZ. The Just Transition Forum is a multi-stakeholder platform dedicated to discussing how to contribute to a just energy transition in the Energy Community region. This hybrid event featured essential discussions on the Western Balkans’ transition away from coal, addressed critical issues with a focus on support for workers and communities during this transformative period.

Highlights included a video presentation and discussions featuring coal mine workers from affected regions. The Forum also had fireside chats and youth-led discussions, numerous opportunities for a dynamic and meaningful exchange and provided a platform to showcase ongoing initiatives and projects related to just transition in the region.

YEA Amina Kaja was a speaker in the panel The voice of youth on Just Transition, which consisted of 3 youth representatives showcasing their views on just transition and the way it should be implemented. Within her role as YEA she performed her poem titled Where we belong, which talks about the importance of youth engagement and inclusion during the creation of a sustainable economy. I also highlighted the needs, concerns and expectations of youth regarding sustainability and green jobs, and offered more insights on how young voices can be supported and amplified.

Here are two separate parts of the poem:

We’ve never been older,
and we’ll never be younger –
just and smart,
fighters with a whole lotta heart,
compassionate when seeing nature’s scars,
creative when transforming them into art.
So, we’re asking,
no, demanding –
‘Give youth their part.’

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Help us find our places,
within dreams of brighter futures.
Clean and suture the wounds
of a healthier nature and its creatures.
We belong as leaders,
decision-makers,
not just tokens,
or partakers.
We are nature’s children –
let us be its helpers.