As world leaders gather in Brazil for the G20 summit one young Australian hopes they consider the voices of young people.
Connor Wright, a Larrakia man from Darwin, represented Australia at the G20 youth summit in August.
The youth summit covers five 'tracks' - fighting hunger, poverty and inequality; climate change, energy transition and sustainable development; reform of the global governance system; inclusion and diversity; and innovation and the future of work.
Mr Wright is Australia's first Indigenous representative at the youth summit for climate change, energy transition and sustainable development track.
"I'm incredibly proud to be able to represent my people and Indigenous people globally, and to push for better Indigenous rights and representation" he told AAP.
"I would say I'm also incredibly sad that there hasn't been anyone before me ... it's a deep shame and injustice that Indigenous people who are most affected by climate change and contributed the least to it are not given every single opportunity to voice their concerns, their perspectives and knowledge on this issue."
Attending the youth forum was an interesting experience, Mr Wright said, and he learned some important lessons he'll need to follow his passion in advocacy and policy making.
"One of the biggest things I would say, is that international negotiation is not easy, especially when communicating with people from different cultures, different backgrounds and different languages," he said.
Despite the challenges, each of the countries at the youth forum agreed unanimously to a number of recommendations in the five 'tracks', including ensuring ethical use of artificial intelligence, and investment in disaster-resilient infrastructure like water, sanitation and energy.
The forum also recommended setting mechanisms for traditional land rights for Indigenous people where none exist and allowing communities that would be affected by development projects to have ownership in them.
The youth group's recommendations have been presented to the leaders of 20 of the world's major economies at their annual summit.
Mr Wright said he hopes the recommendations from the youth forum and other groups, which have presented communiques to the G20 leaders, are taken into account during their discussions.
"I hope they take those recommendations seriously, and I hope they consider everyone's perspective," he said.
"I also hope they take (the recommendations) back to their respective domestic countries and address them."
