COP30: Co-Creating Climate Policies: Youth Driving Inclusive NDCs

Young people are among the stakeholders most affected by climate change, yet their voices remain underrepresented in decision-making. Ensuring their meaningful inclusion in the NDCs 3.0 process is essential to strengthen both implementation and national ownership. With this in mind, the event will focus on Meaningful Youth Engagement in NDCs 3.0, providing a platform for youth, governments, and partner institutions to exchange perspectives, share experiences, and co-develop ideas that can enrich NDC planning and implementation.

Building on the conversations initiated through the Youth Engagement Forum 2025 (YEF2025), developed with the NDC Partnership, the event will spotlight findings from recent regional consultations and a global survey led by YOUNGO—the UNFCCC Children and Youth Constituency—in collaboration with the International Indigenous Youth Forum on Climate Change (IIYFCC) and hosted on the UNDP Youth4Climate Platform. These consultations, held across diverse regions, captured youth perspectives on how to make NDC processes more inclusive and effective, highlighting barriers and offering concrete recommendations.

The event will be structured around three interlinked themes:

1. Youth Engagement Forum 2025 takeaways – key messages and next steps emerging from the YEF2025 process.
2. Voices from the consultations – youth representatives presenting recommendations from regional dialogues and the global survey.
3. Youth-responsive NDCs 3.0 – UNDP’s latest analysis on how youth inclusion is reflected in new NDC submissions, showcasing progress while identifying gaps and challenges ahead.

UNDP will co-organize the event’s design and facilitation together with youth leaders from YOUNGO and IIYFCC, ensuring that youth voices remain at the center. The session will also engage government representatives and development partners, fostering an inclusive dialogue across stakeholders.