The Conference of Children and Youth on Climate Change (COY), as well as the LCOYs and RCOYs, are not affiliated with the UNFCCC. They are independent conferences organized and/or endorsed by YOUNGO, with local child- and youth-led NGOs.

In order to strive for universal accessibility, true inclusion, and diversity, YOUNGO organizes the following COYs: 

• COY, sometimes referred to as GCOY, stands for the Global Conference of Children and Youth on Climate Change, and is co-organised by YOUNGO with selected local children- and youth-led co-host organisations from the hosting country of the COP in the relevant year. It is the flagship annual event under the banner of YOUNGO each year, which in 2026 will be in its 21st year. It is the main children and youth event prior to the COP, aiming to bring together children and youth to plan and strategise for the upcoming negotiations. It typically takes place in the city of the COP in the week prior to its commencement over a period of typically 3 days. 
  • While logistics may restrict attendance, the COY is open for all children and young people under the age of 35; with many already coming to COP but also some coming just for the Conference of Children and Youth. It is the longest-running and most substantial children and youth conference related to the UN climate negotiations in the world, with its outcomes recognised in past decisions of the COPs, and is uniquely organised and led by children and youth. This structure is central to the legitimacy, credibility, and representativeness of the Conference and its outputs. 
  • COY brings together children and youth from around the world to connect and exchange ideas while also building their capacities and encouraging them to take action on climate and to meaningfully engage within the UNFCCC process. Most importantly, COY formally brings the voices of children and youth to the UNFCCC processes to shape the intergovernmental climate change policies through its championing of the Global Youth Statement (GYS), which consolidates children and youth voices worldwide into a unified policy document feeding directly into the COP negotiations. The GYS is presented formally to the COP Presidency and the UNFCCC Secretariat at the closing of COY, along with being distributed to Parties and used as the basis for children and youth advocacy during the COP and throughout the year. 
  • More information about the COY can be found here: https://bit.ly/COYinfo.

• Regional COYs (RCOY) and Local COYs (LCOY) are organized prior to the COY across the world, in order to localize the climate conversation and gather inputs from the ground. RCOYs and LCOYs discuss and develop respective outputs, which feed into national and regional climate policy making as well into COY and, consequently, into the climate negotiations. The process of the LCOYs, RCOYs and COYs are facilitated by what are called Liaisons and each of these conferences count on hosts or co-hosts from the local community where the conferences are being held.

• LCOYs are national and sub-national level events hosted by children and young people under the auspices of YOUNGO, with the aim of empowering and articulating children and youth to act against the climate crisis and influence decision-making spaces at the national level, while also connecting them to the wider international climate negotiations. By building their own National Youth Statements (NYS), LCOYs are able to not only contribute directly into the Global Youth Statement but also advocate for climate policy at home too, helping generate strong citizen engagement at the local level and inspiring communities to take action on climate change. More information about the LCOY can be found here: https://linktr.ee/youngolcoys

• RCOYs are regional level events also hosted by children and young people and endorsed by YOUNGO, with the goal of bringing the inputs and participants children and youth, including those gathered in LCOYs, together in their region and opening up space for  regional advocacy, resulting in the draft process of the Regional Youth Statements (RYS). The RCOYs allow for coordination between children and youth in particular regions and push for common demands between movements from several countries within that region. The RYS also feed directly into the Global Youth Statement (GYS). 

	COY21, 2026 Early November; Antalya, Türkiye (Coming soon). More information on COY21 will be added here in the upcoming months. In case of any questions or interest in partnering or supporting COY21, please reach out to youngo.unfccc@gmail.com.
Credit: YOUNGO	COY20, 2025 6-8 November 2025; Belem, Brazil In 2025, around 300 children and young people from all over the world gathered in the heart of the Amazon - Belém (Brazil), incorporating the spirit of Multirão to amplify voices from all over the world through capacity building and the presence of important stakeholders, like the COP30 Presidency and PYCC. The COY20 socials can be found here. Read the Global Youth Statement here.
	COY19, 2024 7-9 November 2024; Baku, Azerbaijan COY19 had a strong focus on intergenerational dialogue and youth-driven solutions. Read the Global Youth Statement here.
	COY18, 2023 26-28 November 2023; Dubai, United Arab Emirates COY18 was one of the biggest COYs in YOUNGO’s history with 800 delegates and was a space for networking, capacity building, cultural exchange, and the publication of the Global Youth Statement. The COY18 final report can be found here.  Read the Global Youth Statement here.
	COY17, 2022 1-3 November 2022; Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt COY17 was co-hosted by local Egyptian organisations with the main goal of catalysing youth climate action for Africa. The COY17 website and socials can be found here. Read the Global Youth Statement here.
	COY16, 2021 28–31 October 2021, Glasgow, United Kingdom In 2021, COY was in its 16th year and is dubbed as the largest and longest running youth event to date; gathering thousands of young changemakers from more than 140 countries. More >> Read the Global Youth Statement here.
	COY15, 2019 29 November–01 December 2019, Madrid, Spain COY15 served as a preparation session of youth NGOs to develop position papers, network and meet new members, and hold strategic discussions on climate change solutions.
	COY14, 2018 28 November–01 December 2018, Katowice, Poland COY14 was organized by young volunteers and aimed to empower young people in Climate Justice, Climate Policy and Sustainable Development through a multilingual programme consisting of methodological sessions and related content.
	COY13, 2017 November 2017, Bonn, Germany The Conference of Youth took place during the weekend before the opening of COP23. The event is an annual international meeting of young persons eager to work on solving climate challenges. The conference is an official event of YOUNGO.
	COY12, 2016 4–6 November 2016, Marrakech, Morocco Young people gathered in Marrakech to strengthen the role of youth in the implementation of the Paris Climate Change Agreement. The focus of COY12 was on the role of education and capacity building in empowering young people to take action on climate change. More >>
	COY11, 2015 26–28 November 2015, Paris, France COY11 addressed more than 5000 young participants from around the world. This unprecedented event was an excellent opportunity to show a youth massively mobilized, inclusive, capable and responsible at the historic Paris climate summit. More >>
	COY 10, 2014 28–30 November 2014, Lima, Peru COY10 established a space of coordination and organization for the world’s youth in order to develop the youth climate agenda. More >>
	COY 9, 2013 7–10 November 2013, Warsaw, Poland COY9 sought to build the capacity of young people for their effective engagement in the UNFCCC process through targeted policy inputs and advocacy activities.
	COY 8, 2012 22–25 November 2012, Doha, Qatar COY 8 demonstrated the instrumental role YOUNGO plays at the UNFCCC through policy creation, interventions, actions and lobbying; exemplifying the importance of youth: their creativity, passion and dedication for solving climate change.