The International Youth Climate Delegate Program (International YCDP) will involve 100 young people in the international climate policy negotiation process, with a preference for delegates from Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Small Island Developing States (SIDS), Indigenous Peoples, and other minority groups from around the world.
This event will be led by Her Excellency Shamma Al Mazrui, the COP28 Youth Climate Champion, in partnership with YOUNGO, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s Official Children and Youth Constituency (UNFCCC).
The specific objectives of the program include the following:
- Ensure that youth views and proposals are fully integrated into global climate policymaking and dialogue.
- Build youth skills, capacity, knowledge, and networks, particularly in the most impacted countries, to engage in climate processes.
- Provide a model for the COP process on youth inclusion.
Duration of the program
The International YCDP runs from March to December 2023. The timeline for the selection period is expected to be as follows:
- Applications open March 15 and will close by 7 April, 2023.
- A selection committee, run and staffed by YOUNGO, will shortlist candidates and invite them for interviews on a rolling basis.
- Shortlisted candidates will also be asked to submit a short essay on a climate-related topic specified by the committee.
- Final interviews will be conducted between mid-to-end April.
- Candidates interested in selection for the June SB58 Bonn intersessional are encouraged to apply early and indicate existing EU travel authorization in their applications.
- YOUNGO will inform candidates of selection by early May and the 100 selected delegates will be announced later that month.
- The program will run from May through December 2023.
Opportunities for Delegates
As one of the 100 International Youth Climate Delegates, you will have the opportunity to:
- Follow the UNFCCC negotiation processes over the year, gathering inputs and shared goals from youth in your country or community.
- Access capacity-building opportunities to learn more about climate diplomacy, negotiations and more.
- Gain a deeper understanding of the COP process and other fundamental climate action activities.
- Participate in the 18th Conference of Youth in the UAE, ahead of COP28, as well as relevant local or regional youth events
- Participate in COP28 at Expo City Dubai, UAE from November 30 to December 12.
In addition to the opportunities listed above, a small number of delegates will also be invited to participate in other critical climate change summits, including the SB58 UNFCCC Intersessionals in June 2023 in Bonn, Germany, the “Pre-COP” in October 2023, and the UN Regional Climate Weeks. The selection process for these opportunities will be announced at a later stage.
Eligibility Criteria
• Participants should be between the ages of 18 to 35 by the end of the year
• The program is open to youth everywhere, with strong priority to residents of SIDS and LDCS. We encourage youth from indigenous communities and other minority youth to apply.
• Demonstrable commitment to and experience in climate and sustainability fields, including but not limited to education, paid and/or voluntary work, and extracurricular activities.
• Applications are encouraged from candidates with at least two years of experience and/or education in sectors such as climate, energy, infrastructure, urban development, biodiversity and nature conservation, food and water systems, health, peace and security, education, humanitarian relief, transport, industry, finance, gender equality, and community engagement, among other areas.
• Priority will be given to candidates who have experience of climate policy engagement, and are able to commit to building a clear advocacy plan for COP28.
• Candidates should ideally be independent from their government COP delegations. In a limited number of cases, participants may be youth representatives within their national government delegations but would still be expected to consult with youth outside of government.
• Participants do not have to be a member of YOUNGO to apply
Recognizing that the vast majority of negotiations take place in English, and our aim for youth delegates to be fully engaged in COP negotiations, the application form is in English and we encourage youth with a working knowledge of English to apply.
However, we also welcome applications from youth who are confident they will be able to participate in the negotiations through interpretation assistance from their networks or organisations. In such cases, applicants are welcome to seek external assistance for submitting their applications. The COP28 Presidency will strive to make more opportunities available with interpretation assistance as we are committed to advocating for more accessible COP processes.
Apply here
For all enquiries, please email iycdp@cop28.com