In North America, youth are pushing for stronger climate action at local and national levels, yet meaningful participation in NDCs remains inconsistent. This session will explore how youth can influence climate policy more effectively in Canada, the U.S., and beyond.

We encourage you to share your insights by contributing to this discussion room and consultation survey form. 

Your input will help shape:

  • Comprehensive Report: A summary of the consultations, incorporating key insights from both the discussion page and the survey form. This report will highlight key findings, identify barriers, and present recommendations and success stories of youth engagement in NDCs globally.
  • Policy Recommendations: A set of actionable recommendations for governments, informed by inputs from the discussion and survey, to enhance children and youth participation in all stages of the NDC process.
  • Increased Youth Advocacy: Empowering young climate activists with knowledge and resources to advocate for these policy recommendations and raise awareness about the importance of youth inclusion in NDCs.
     

Therefore we kindly ask you as young changemakers and climate advocates , to give your inputs to the below questions: 

  1. Youth Priorities and Climate Challenges: What are the most pressing climate challenges for young people in your region, and which sectors should be prioritized to address their needs?
  2. Barriers to Meaningful Youth Engagement in NDCs: What are the key challenges preventing young people from actively participating in the NDC process, and what barriers exist between youth and government collaboration
  3. Making NDCs More Youth-Inclusive and Impactful: How can NDCs be designed to genuinely reflect youth priorities, and what roles should young people play in shaping, implementing, and monitoring them?
  4. Strengthening Youth Participation Through Support, Partnerships & Policy Reforms: What policies, resources, and partnerships are needed to ensure meaningful youth participation in NDCs, and how can governments and stakeholders better support this?

 

 

Note: This discussion page is specifically for youth from North America. If you belong to a different region, please return to the main group page and join your designated regional discussion room.

 

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Comments (11)

Hailey Campbell Moderator

Hi everyone! đź‘‹ I am so excited for the NDC Consultation!!

I lead the non-profit, Care About Climate 🌎️, where we break barriers for young people to engage in climate policy spaces 💪, including through supporting them in reviewing their NDCs for youth inclusion (check it out: www.ndcequitytracker.org) I am also a member of YOUNGO's NDC Working Group and am thrilled to be helping you all navigate the North America consultation room! Looking forward to seeing your thoughts. 🎉

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Gaima Sarah

Hi everyone! 👋 I’m so excited for the NDC Consultation!

I’m Gaima Sarah from Uganda 🇺🇬, passionate about empowering young people to engage in climate policy and sustainable solutions. I’m currently leading projects focused on agricultural innovation and aviation waste management. Feel free to connect with me on WhatsApp at +256 754 810795 or on LinkedIn. Looking forward to hearing your insights in the consultation room! 🌍💚

Hailey Campbell Moderator

Hey Gaima! Welcome to the group!! We welcome your comments here, but I'd love to direct you to the Africa Consultation room to share your perspective on youth inclusion in Uganda's NDC!!

Kassem Harb

Hi everyone!! My name is Kassem Harb, and I'm nationally from Canada and ethnically from Lebanon. I graduated from Mechanical Engineering with a focus in renewable energy and work full time as a Hydro-Mechanical Engineer. I have been involved with organizations such as Engineers without Borders, pushing for climate change to be more discussed In political spaces. I am passionate about various aspects of activism, including climate, energy, youth, indigenous peoples, and islamophobia. I look forward to our future discussions.

Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn!

Hailey Campbell Moderator

Nice to meet you! Were you able to complete the consultation survey form linked in the description?

What do you think of Canada's NDC? Do you feel like they included youth well?

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Luke Heller

Hello, my name is Luke and I am a climate activist based in the United States and a current university student studying economics and environmental studies. In addition to bring a member of YOUNGO, I am an alumnus of the FXB Climate Advocates program and have volunteered with organizations including The CLEO Institute, the Sierra Club, and Citizens Climate Lobby.

Presently, the biggest hurdle American youth like myself face regarding inclusion in NDCs is that our current president has attacked the Paris Agreement, in effect shutting off meaningful climate engagement at the international level. However, an informational barrier regarding international climate policy also exists within our country. Most major environmental organizations focus on policy work at the state and national level, while very few opportunities to learn about NDCs and other UNFCCC processes exist outside of YOUNGO. Although this might not make much of a difference now, going forward I think it could be helpful to spread awareness of this type of work with youth in environmental organizations which currently exist, given that there is likely a large number of American youth that are passionate about the environment and climate action but also unaware of YOUNGO's work.

Looking at the most recent NDC passed in 2021, it doesn't seem like youth were included very well - I don't think the document mentions the words "youth" or "children" once. However, I think it does broadly reflect the attitudes of young climate activists like myself. Since a change in administration has taken place since then, it seems unlikely that NDCs will be revisited in the near future, but I hope that my perspective can serve as a starting point for once our time comes.

Hailey Campbell Moderator

thanks for sharing Luke!! The attack on the Paris Agreement and lack of commitment of the new government makes it really hard to find pathway to engage.

You can still check out the US 2024 NDC here, which made a few improvements from the 2021 NDC: https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/2024-12/United%20States%202035%2…

And, have you heard of LCOYUSA? The team does a little bit of training on the NDC and did advocacy around it for the 2024 NDC: www.lcoyusa.com.

If you were to host a training on NDCs in your community today, what would you focus on considering the current political realities? What's the one thing people should know about NDCs?

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Luke Heller

From a more generalist point of view, NDCs reflect national ambition to address climate change, but at the national level it is logistically challenging to ensure that the voices of all relevant parties are included (regardless of political circumstances). However, NDCs could also be a good starting point for local organizations and governments to assess in order to know how much they need to contribute to have a meaningful impact in reducing carbon emissions. When the efforts of local and state governments to combat climate change are pooled together, they arguably can have a larger collective impact than the federal government can have alone.

Dr. Anirudh Janagam

Hello everyone! 🌎

I'm Dr. Anirudh Janagam from India, founder of SyntHeim (https://www.syntheim.com) and active with YOUNGO, CYMG, and multiple youth networks across Asia-Pacific and global forums. Also member of YOUNGO NDCs WG.

In our regions, we’ve observed how the inclusion of youth in NDCs transforms not just the policies but the pace of implementation, especially when climate education, mental health, rural engagement, and Indigenous participation are centered.

North America’s role is crucial in amplifying climate ambition and supporting international equity in NDCs. I’m inspired by the youth here and hope to cross-learn strategies for co-creation, localization, and accountability.

Looking forward to engaging and collaborating across regions! ✨💬
#Youth4Climate #GlobalSolidarity #NDCs

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Shuaib Farah

--https://chat.whatsapp.com/DgnkAhZPSSM7f8fjUYrh8C

Welcome to the Pact for a Sustainable Tomorrow!

Dear all,

On behalf of our team and global partners, we’re delighted to welcome each of you to the Pact for a Sustainable Tomorrow community!

Your insights, advocacy, and leadership—whether shared through forums like Youth4Climate, YOUNGO, or local action—are exactly the kind of energy and commitment that this space is built to support and amplify. Whether you're pushing for youth inclusion in NDCs, leading climate education, or driving policy reform across regions, you belong here.

The Pact is a global platform where youth, civil society, and institutions come together to drive impact around sustainability, peace, and equitable development. Through cross-border partnerships, co-creation, and shared learning, we aim to unlock new possibilities for meaningful change.

We encourage you to:

Introduce yourselves to the group if you haven’t already

Share your initiatives, priorities, and collaboration ideas

Let us know if you're interested in joint proposals, regional projects, or representation opportunities at forums like COP, ECOSOC, or AU Youth gatherings

Once again, a warm welcome—and thank you for the amazing work you're doing for our planet and our future. Let’s build something powerful together.

With solidarity,
Shuaib Farah
Co-Founder, Pact for a Sustainable Tomorrow

https://chat.whatsapp.com/DgnkAhZPSSM7f8fjUYrh8C