Background

Nationally determined contributions (NDCs) are at the heart of the Paris Agreement and the achievement of its long-term goals. NDCs embody efforts by each country to reduce national emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change. The Paris Agreement (Article 4, paragraph 2) requires each Party to prepare, communicate and maintain successive nationally determined contributions (NDCs) that it intends to achieve. 

Parties are requested to submit the next round of NDCs (new NDCs or updated NDCs) by 2025. These NDCs will be crucial in determining whether the world gets back on a trajectory which limits global temperature rise to 1.5⁰C.  Recognizing the role of children and youth as agents of change in addressing and responding to climate change, this requirement creates a unique opportunity for Parties to meaningfully engage and include them as part of the process.

Objective

The establishment of the role of the Presidency Youth Climate Champion (Decision 16/CP.28) meant to further enhance and encourage the inclusive engagement of children and young people in climate processes. In this regard, the COP 29 Presidency Youth Climate Champion (PYCC) convened this meeting during COP29 whose objective was to provide a space for Parties and non-Party stakeholders, to share good practices and tools as well as to discuss existing efforts for facilitating a more child and youth inclusive NDC 3.0 process.

This process was building on the work that commenced during SB60 where through a similar event, the COP29 PYCC launched her NDC 3.0 campaign. 

Specifically, this session was intended to address the following objectives: 

• Share milestones of the COP29 PYCC NDC 3.0 campaign. 
• Highlight existing good practices which are endeavoring to aid the meaningful engagement of young people in the NDC 3.0 review and implementation process.
• Highlight to Parties examples of tools that can be used to aid their efforts of meaningfully engaging children and youth in the entire NDC process (from planning to implementation and tracking and review process). 
• Identify concrete ways forward in which children and young people can directly engage meaningfully with Parties in NDC 3.0.

Targeted Audience

This high-level COP 29 Presidency roundtable event was intended for Parties and non-Party representatives.

• Children and youth that are part of national delegations and admitted observer organizations were highly encouraged to attend. 
• Parties were also encouraged to attend, to learn various means children and youth perspectives can be strengthened in their NDC 3.0 process, in addition to their own national efforts and support they receive from other sources such as those provided by NDC Partnership and UNDP Climate Promise. 

Agenda