Insights from 35 Countries: What Enables Youth to Shape Climate Governance
- Hasib Rafi
- 7 days ago
- 4 min read
Across Asia and the Pacific, young people are stepping into decision making spaces with bold ideas and practical solutions grounded in lived experience. Home to 60% of the world’s youth, the region is witnessing an increase in young changemakers eager to shape more inclusive, and future-focused policies.
In response, it is time we shift the lens. Instead of asking what is holding youth back, it is time to ask what helps them move forward and explore the tools, spaces, or relationships that are enabling them to navigate these systems and make their voices heard. The real opportunity lies within identifying, amplifying, and expanding what is already working — to build a more inclusive and enabling environment for youth leadership in climate action.
Rethinking Youth Engagement by Listening to What Works
Recognizing this, the Youth Empowerment in Climate Action Platform (YECAP) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) utilized Ekota, an online community listening tool developed by the Cognition Company, to discover what enables young people to meaningfully participate in decision-making.
The Ekota platform encourages people to share perspectives in their own words and vote on each other’s ideas. These inputs are then aggregated and analyzed using machine learning, helping to crowdsource shared priorities and build consensus. Previously used by UNDP in multiple countries, such as Pakistan, Bhutan, Nepal and Timor-Leste, Ekota has helped surface many youth-generated policy ideas that have informed programming and dialogues with decision-makers.
As part of the upcoming broader report, Navigating Climate Governance: Insights from Young Leaders in the Asia-Pacific Region, Ekota was deployed regionally to identify key enablers of youth participation in climate policy.
The core question guiding the conversation was: What specific factors have made it possible for youth to meaningfully participate in key climate governance spaces (decision/policy-making processes related to climate) at the national, state or local level.
What the Youth Told Us: Enablers of Participation Across the Region
A total of 513 young people from 35 countries participated in the online conversation. Their responses point to a growing ecosystem of support but also underline areas where progress is still needed.
The youth overwhelmingly emphasized the importance of access to knowledge, peer networks, and leadership opportunities. Many cited how mentorship, training, and community-led advocacy helped them bridge the gap between activism and policy influence. “A youth network dedicated to climate advocacy profoundly inspired me,” said one respondent, highlighting the catalytic role of collective organizing.
Technical expertise emerged as another key driver. One young leader shared how innovations in climate-resilient agriculture, including floating seedbeds and eco-rooftop farming, strengthened their credibility in national policy discussions.
Others noted the value of global exposure, such as attending the COY and COP processes, in equipping them to move beyond symbolic representation. One participant recalled: “My meaningful participation in climate governance is rooted in my experiences at the 10th World Water Forum and the 6th General Assembly of the World Youth Parliament for Water.”
However, access remains uneven. While many youths are engaging effectively through organized channels, significant barriers persist, especially for those from marginalized or underrepresented communities. Around 40% of government employee respondents and half of youth parliament members reported that climate policy spaces in their countries are still not fully accessible. “Our government doesn't really let people join the (climate) conversation,” one activist said, “and I have to develop solutions by teaming with people and confronting the government.”
From Conversation to Change: Youth-Driven Civic Engagement
Youth conversations on platforms like Ekota matter because they surface real, unfiltered insights directly from young changemakers — not about them, but from them. In several other cases, Ekota insights directly shaped local governance outcomes. In Nepal’s Madi Municipality, the local youth advisory group successfully pushed for revisions to both the Sanitation Procedure 2076 BS and the Disaster Risk Reduction Act 2075 BS.
In Tilottama Municipality, youth contributions helped transform the Environment and Natural Resources Protection Act 2077 into a more youth-friendly document. Despite initial hesitation, local officials ultimately embraced youth perspectives as vital to future-proofing policies.
In Timor-Leste, UNDP and the National Parliament launched the “Hako’ak Mehi Campaign” to spark civic engagement among youth. Using Ekota, the campaign created safe online spaces for young people to share their aspirations and concerns. Data gained from the campaign was presented directly to lawmakers, informing the development of a roadmap for youth participation.
What’s Next: Youth in NDC 3.0 and Beyond
As countries move toward their next Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC 3.0), the need to institutionalize youth engagement has never been clearer. YECAP, in collaboration with UNDP Country Offices and respective governments in the Asia-Pacific region, is scaling up Ekota across more countries to ensure youth voices are not just heard but enshrined in climate decision-making processes.
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About the Youth Empowerment in Climate Action Platform (YECAP)
The Youth Empowerment in Climate Action Platform (YECAP) was established by UNDP in Asia and the Pacific in collaboration with UNFCCC RCC Asia and the Pacific, UNICEF, British Council, YOUNGO, Movers Programme, and 2030 Youth Force in response to young people across the region calling for urgent action on the climate agenda. Youth in all their diverse identities and experiences advance their climate journeys with the support from YECAP to meaningfully engage in action, advocacy, and acceleration of the movement towards a just climate future.
About the Regional Youth Parliament on Climate Action (RYPCA)
The Regional Youth Parliament on Climate Action (RYPCA) was established by YECAP, UNDP, UN Women through the EmPower Programme jointly implemented with UNEP, UNICEF, Climate Parliament, The Earth, and the World Assembly of Youth, with support from Sweden.