Background

YOUNGO is the official children and youth constituency of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). YOUNGO is a vibrant, global network of children and youth activists (up to 35 years) as well as youth NGOs, who contribute to shaping the intergovernmental climate change policies and strive to empower youth to formally bring their voices to the UNFCCC processes.

Care About Climate is a youth-led non-profit that empowers people to be their best advocates in climate-related decision-making spaces through education and training. Through a network of youth across the world, Care About Climate has a mission to create a space to address the climate crisis by bridging knowledge to act locally and globally.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) is present in 36 countries and territories to guarantee compliance with the rights of children and adolescents, especially the most vulnerable. UNICEF works to support countries so that social programs adapt to a changing climate. They advocate for child-centered climate adaptation, resilience building, and child-sensitive climate policies, while mapping children's climate risk and supporting children, adolescents and youth climate advocates.

Objectives

• Strengthen capacity and agency for young people to confidently engage in climate policy spaces by providing advice and pathways to access resources
• Showcase meaningful youth engagement and advocacy in policy-making climate spaces
• Highlight the region aspects relate to climate to provide youth a better vision for climate policy (community-level needs and alternatives for solutions)
• Provide perspectives for children and youth to engage in decision-making process through advocacy and negotiations according to community-level needs and solutions

Agenda and Format

Outcomes

• Children and youth are aware and empowered on how to engage in the policy-making process according to the regional context and participate in shaping the region's way forward.
• Participants are able to identify what a meaningful children and youth engagement looks like and what are the current spaces available to participate in climate governance.