Amplifying the Voices of Youth in Climate Governance

By Petra Pontier, Policy Officer (Environment and Climate Change)

Local Conference of Youth 2024 supported by UNDP Cambodia

The global rise of youth movements has brought about positive societal change and played a pivotal role in accelerating climate action around the world. These movements have been inspiring, empowering, and mobilizing young people to take action for combating climate change. However, the lack of mechanisms and resources to systematically participate and provide inputs into climate governance remains a challenge for young people across the globe. More often, efforts invested in identifying and engaging youth have suffered from tokenistic participation without a real space for meaningful contributions and inclusion.

Leadership skills, knowledge, and resources are needed to improve the agency of climate advocates and the inclusiveness of national, regional, and global climate governance mechanisms and networks. In Cambodia, UNDP is contributing to increased awareness and opportunities for young people to engage in climate governance through partnerships with local civil society organizations to identify pathways to amplify youth voices in the development of key climate policies, such as the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC).

Local Conferences of Youth (LCOYs) as Entry Points to Climate Governance

LCOYs are annual events mandated by YOUNGO – the official youth constituency of UNFCCC, held around the world to enhance young people’s knowledge of climate-related concepts and gather their inputs for National Youth Statements to ensure local perspectives and experiences are reflected in regional and global negotiations.

In 2024, UNDP partnered with UNICEF and the Cambodian Youth Council for Climate Action (YCCA) to bring together more than 200 participants from various backgrounds for a two-day climate knowledge and capacity-building programme in the form of the Local Conference of Youth (LCOY), resulting in the development of a National Youth Statement shared with the Ministry of Environment ahead of COP29.

“I think it’s a good platform to encourage discussion and youth involvement, which leads to better solutions to climate change.”

– Sao Dyna, LCOY Cambodia 2024

To enhance the understanding of climate-related concepts and make them more accessible to local audiences, all participants received a copy of the UNDP Climate Dictionary in Khmer. The agenda also included sessions on the Climate Quest card game developed by the Impact Hub Phnom Penh within the framework of the UNDP Youth4Climate innovation challenge. The game lets players explore actions to reduce their carbon footprint and facilitate a discussion on the wider societal and environmental impacts in a fun and engaging way, while creating a sense of urgency.

LCOY delegates pose with the UNDP Climate Dictionary in Khmer

From Understanding Towards Participation

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement and a critical moment as countries gear towards the third generation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Empowering youth to be effective climate leaders is essential for forging a collective impact and increasing the likelihood of implementing these NDCs.

“Young people are not just the leaders of tomorrow but also the change-makers of today. Their involvement in the NDC process is essential for creating robust, inclusive, and future-proof climate policies. We encourage everyone to take proactive steps to engage young people in this critical process, ensuring that their voices are included in shaping the climate future we all depend on.” 

– Alissar Chaker, Resident Representative, UNDP Cambodia

Cambodia’s current NDC includes a chapter on youth engagement, highlighting the role of young people in advancing national climate goals; however, it fails to assign them concrete responsibilities beyond volunteering and does not specify a way to track their engagement.

Towards Meaningful Youth Engagement in NDC 3.0

To ensure an inclusive process in the development of Cambodia’s next generation of NDC, UNDP has devised a roadmap with concrete recommendations for meaningful youth engagement. It was developed as part of the national stock-take exercise building on the assessment of youth engagement in Cambodia’s Updated NDC from 2020.

The roadmap outlines four actions for the government, development partners, and young people, respectively, recognizing their shared but differentiated responsibilities. It was officially launched during the NDC 3.0 Inception workshop in January and will serve as guidance to ensure a youth-responsive process throughout the NDC 3.0 development and beyond.

The process is led by the Ministry of Environment with joint support from UN agencies and development partners under the coordination of UNDP. A key milestone will be a dedicated youth consultation in the format of LCOY at the end of May as an opportunity for young people to provide inputs into the draft document in time for its target finalization and submission to UNFCCC in July 2025.

This article was originally published by UNDP Cambodia here.