Co-organized by: COP30 Presidency Youth Climate Champion and COP31 Presidency Youth Climate Champion

1. Background

The role of the Presidency Youth Climate Champion (PYCC), established under Decision 16/CP.28 at COP28, aims to further enhance the engagement of children and young people in climate decision-making and policy processes, including within the UNFCCC process.
Each PYCC has their own story, their own place and their own community. Together, they trace a through-line of children and youth-led climate engagement across three COP presidencies. As PYCC, they occupy a unique position, facilitating connections between local communities and global climate governance and carrying these efforts forward from one PYCC to the next.
Community engagement is at the heart of climate action as an ongoing process of working with individuals and groups to foster trust, incorporate community values and enhance decision-making toward more sustainable and transparent outcomes. Community engagement can take many different forms shaped by place, culture and lived experiences. Through open conversations, the PYCCs reflect on their experiences, share what they have learned, and explore how youth-led community engagement can drive more inclusive and grounded climate action across presidencies and communities.
This event at SB64 is a unique opportunity to reflect on how community engagement can be advanced through youth-led climate action on the road to COP31 in Antalya.

2. Objectives

This side event will bring together children and young people, PYCCs, other Party delegates and key partners for a forward looking conversation on youth and community engagement. The event is structured around three interconnected objectives:
 

• Sharing on community engagements in local contexts: Unpacking how community engagement looks like in different places, cultures and contexts through firsthand experiences and exploring how the PYCC role can strengthen collaborative approaches to community engagement to advance climate action.
• Reflecting the role of PYCC in supporting initiatives that strengthen community engagement: Highlighting key initiatives and outcomes of the first 2 years of PYCC work, including the Youth Mutirão, regional and international consultations, Summer Camp, and NDC 3.0 process, among others, together with key partners who contributed to their delivery.

3. Format

The event will be structured as a moderated panel discussion with dedicated segments for each of the objectives, followed by an interactive exchange with the audience.

4. Targeted Audience

This event is intended for children and youth representatives, including those within Party delegations and admitted observer organizations; YOUNGO and other constituencies, delegates responsible for youth engagement and Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE); representatives of UN agencies, international organizations, and civil society partners engaged in children, youth and climate work.

5. Agenda  

Youth Advisory Council on International Climate Change Representative, Tom Webb, Moderator