In 2021, in the framework of the partnership agreement between Italy and the United Kingdom for the Presidency of the 26th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC- COP26), Italy hosted, in Milan, a global event entirely dedicated to young people, entitled "Youth4Climate: Driving Ambition", on the margins of PreCop26.
The event offered 400 young people from all over the world an unprecedented opportunity to propose ideas, participate in debates and take action on some of the most urgent issues related to the climate crisis. The result was the sharing by all young participants of a powerful and ambitious document: the Youth4Climate Manifesto, a bold plan for climate action.
Youth4Climate: Powering Action is a new global initiative, co-led by Italy and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and co-shaped with youth and other strategic partners: Connect4Climate – World Bank Group, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Secretariat (UN Climate Change), the Office of the Secretary General’s Envoy on Youth, the United Nations Secretary-General’s Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change and YOUNGO, the official children and youth constituency of UNFCCC.
Youth4Climate: Powering Action has a long-term strategic vision oriented to:
- Build on the successes, lessons learned and recommendations from the 2021 Youth4Climate Manifesto adopted at the Youth4Climate: Driving Ambition Summit in Milan and convene a global Youth4Climate: Powering Action event on 20th September 2022 in New York.
- Boost youth-led and youth-inclusive climate action on the ground by strengthening the identification and support of concrete and innovative youth-led solutions and nurturing a vibrant ecosystem for youth at all levels.
- Sustain meaningful and long-term engagement with and for youth, by making possible the generation and exchange of knowledge, opportunities, experiences, and resources in a new global virtual space.
Governance of Youth4Climate: Powering Action
Secretariat: The Italian Ministry of Ecological Transition and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) jointly coordinate activities.
Advisory Committee: The Youth4Climate Advisory Committe shapes Youth4Climate relevant activities. It is co-chaired by the Secretariat and includes the UNFCCC Secretariat (UN Climate Change), Connect4Climate - World Bank Group, the Office of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth, the Children and Youth constituency to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (YOUNGO), the United Nations Secretary-General’s Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change, and young representatives from 2021 Youth4Climate: Driving Ambition event.
