COP31: Australia’s chance to uplift young voices in climate policy

Despite climate change being the defining crisis of our time, the global spotlight is drifting. Every fraction of a degree above 1.5°C will have catastrophic and irreversible consequences for ecosystems, communities, and economies – yet the urgency of the crisis is too often overshadowed by short-term political agendas.

In this context, uplifting young voices is not only timely, it’s essential. Young people understand what’s at stake – they’re living through the impacts now and will inherit the decisions made today.

At a time when trust in democratic institutions and processes is declining and geopolitical tensions are rising, empowering global youth – especially from regions such as Australia and the Pacific and the global south, which are among the most climate-vulnerable in the world – is both a democratic imperative and a strategic necessity.

A potential Australia-Pacific COP in 2026 presents a rare opportunity to reset the narrative – to centre climate as the priority it must be even in these uncertain political times, to lead with intergenerational justice, and to model a new era of inclusive, globally-minded leadership.

In an age of fragmentation, young people offer the global perspective, urgency, and long-term vision that this moment demands.

Climate change through young eyes

Climate change continues to have a direct impact on the systems young Australians need to thrive. This was one of the many findings that emerged from the 2024 Youth Representative Report, published by UN Youth Australia.

Capturing more than 2000 youth perspectives from across state lines and from diverse backgrounds and identities, the report paints a detailed and honest picture of the world as seen through young eyes.

Young people observe first-hand the impacts of climate change on their communities, noticing an uptick in natural hazards and disasters across the country. We’re seeing more and more bushfires. We notice a loss of biodiversity in our natural parks and along the Great Barrier Reef, and a degradation of our local water sources.

Many young Australians understand climate change to be a time-sensitive issue. However, they feel there isn’t enough focus on developing sustainable practices to preserve our planet.

Young voices matter in climate policy

Young people have grown up in a changing climate, and their futures are dependent on adequately addressing the climate crisis.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change finds that young people born in the 2010s will face up to four times more climate impacts in their lifetime.

As those closest to future generations and most impacted by decisions on climate change taken today, it’s critical that young people are centred in climate policymaking at all scales.

The importance of youth inclusion in climate policymaking has been recognised in the UN General Assembly’s General Comment 26, which recognises the rights of children to a healthy, sustainable planet, and the Action for Climate Empowerment component of the Paris Agreement/UNFCCC Convention, in which parties have recognised the importance of children and youth as key decision-makers and implementers of climate action.

Young people want to be heard

The young Australians of today are an active generation and they want their voices meaningfully integrated in climate policy. They believe that “young Australians should play a part in leading the change”.

Many of them have publicly advocated for their voices to be heard, only for their concerns to be dismissed by those in power. One young person shared that:

“... Global climate protests have been occurring since I was in high school years ago, and it feels like politicians around the world are patting young people on the head and acknowledging that climate change is a big issue, but the policies they pursue to ‘fix’ the issue hardly scratch the surface.”

And worldwide, young people aren't afraid to take back their future and make their voices heard. Efforts such as Care About Climate's NDC Youth Clause, a call to action for governments to adopt youth inclusive commitments in the Nationally Determined Contributions, and the Children and Youth Constituency of the UNFCCC (YOUNGO) voluntarily convening youth to make interventions in international climate policy negotiations, are two examples of youth leadership making a positive impact.

Youth concerns falling on deaf ears

Despite their importance, young Australians still feel disconnected from the policymaking process.

“Young people feel unheard. We are the future of this country. We will be the ones left to deal with debts and effects of climate change from poor decisions.”

The 2024 Youth Representative Report found that only 15.4% of young people felt involved in the decision-making process.

More alarmingly, young people feel a lack of respect for their perspectives, particularly among older generations, with only 22.2% of respondents feeling like their opinions are heard and valued by older Australians.

Relatedly, UNICEF finds that worldwide 94% of young people feel unsupported in making their voices heard in multilateral forums that shape the destiny of their futures, and 85% feel tokenised when given opportunities to speak.

It’s not just enough to invite young people to share their perspective; policymakers must improve their efforts of continuous engagement and capacity-building for long-term inclusion.

International policymaking remains exclusionary to young people

Each year, UN Youth Australia gets the opportunity to send one young Australian to deliver an address to the Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly as Australia’s youth delegate. They join the Australian Mission to the United Nations (New York Office) to be the youth voice and advisor in debates, negotiations, and strategy work regarding topical global issues, particularly those impacting young people.

As Australia’s 2024 youth delegate, Vasil Samardzhiev delivered a statement, providing an overview of how modern challenges inhibit the ability of, and frustrate, young people to secure a prosperous future.

Vasil recognises that the annual address gives a voice to young people at the world’s biggest policy forum. In the same breath, he recognises that the opportunity to deliver a five-minute address falls short in achieving its desired impact and doesn’t allow young people to meaningfully steer conversation.

Young people have taken matters into their own hands. Around the world, they’ve created a multilingual course to train each other on how to effectively and professionally engage in climate negotiations, leading to increased youth confidence in engaging in international negotiations.

Nevertheless, though capacity-building efforts are expanding, the United Nations remains inaccessible for many young people in assuming their rightful place as decision-makers and financially accessing the space.

Young people want more than a seat in the room – they want meaningful, supported participation. That means training, but also financial and logistical backing, especially since most youth attend COP as unpaid volunteers, unlike government or institutional delegates.

To truly include youth, support must extend to travel, visas, accommodation, translation, and safeguarding, particularly for minors. But inclusion also means recognising the diversity within youth communities – engaging those who are often unheard due to race, class, gender, geography, or ability.

Young people are calling for an end to tokenism and performative inclusion. They want to contribute on their own terms, not just be used for optics.

COP31: Australia’s chance to uplift young voices

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement.

With trust in the multilateral system waning and a more difficult political reality potentially affecting outcomes, it's more important than ever to weave in and empower the next generation of climate leaders to engage effectively in international negotiations.

The COP30 presidency seeks to move us into an era of implementation, which is welcomed by many young people. However, it's unclear how they’ll promote necessary follow-up to achieve an equitable fossil fuel phase-out, scale climate finance, and protect the most vulnerable.

If the COP30 presidency secures the adoption of new work programs for mitigation and just transition this year, COP31 will be a turning point for implementation.

The antidote to inaction is access to information and opportunities to engage as leaders. For decades, Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE) has taken a back seat to the negotiations. Power is in the people – including youth – not just the negotiations. With the midway action plan review upon us, COP31 in Australia has the potential to leverage ACE as a resource to significantly advance capacity-building, education, inclusion, and awareness-raising that cuts across mitigation, adaptation, and resilience efforts.

What do we and youth want out of COP31?

COP31 has the potential to show unity and uplift the Pacific, which is the most vulnerable to climate change. In addition to co-leadership with Pacific Islands, we encourage the adoption of a youth council composed of at least one youth per Asia-Pacific country to support the Youth Champion, and greater support and inclusion of diverse youth, including through resourcing, training and logistics.