Antalya, Türkiye — Children and young people took centre stage at COP31 on Friday, 14 November, as the conference dedicated its sixth day to children, youth, education and skills. Young delegates presented their own climate demands directly to decision-makers, while ministers and international organisations put climate education and green jobs at the heart of the talks.
The day, held at the COP31 venue in Antalya, brought together children, young people, government representatives, private sector partners and climate leaders. According to UNICEF, the message from young people was clear: while children are among those most affected by climate change, they are also powerful agents of change and essential partners in building a more sustainable future.
A Children’s Call to Action, written by young people themselves
A key highlight of the day was the event “Rights of the Next Generation: Empowering Children as Climate Leaders at COP31”, organised by UNICEF and Türkiye’s Ministry of Family and Social Services. During the event, children and young people presented a Children’s Call to Action on Climate, developed through a youth-led co-creation process at COP31, sharing their priorities and recommendations directly with decision-makers.
During COP31, children and young people also met Tûba Büyüküstün, UNICEF Türkiye Goodwill Ambassador, and Zehra Güneş, UNICEF Türkiye Child Rights Advocate, sharing their experiences of climate change, their aspirations and their recommendations for climate action.
UNICEF also took part in the Antalya Dialogue on Children, Youth and Climate Resilience, a high-level COP31 Presidency event that brought together governments, international organisations, young people and partners to discuss climate resilience and faster action for children and young people.
“Climate change is one of the greatest threats to children’s rights, wellbeing and futures,” said Paolo Marchi, UNICEF Representative in Türkiye. “Yet children and young people across Türkiye are already leading change in their communities. From Antalya, they are sending a clear message to the world: they want a future that is greener, fairer and more resilient.”
Climate education alliance reaches 100 countries
The day also marked a milestone for climate education. UNESCO’s Greening Education Partnership now brings together 100 countries and more than 2,000 organisations, with Türkiye becoming its 100th member country. UNESCO describes it as the largest global alliance for climate education. The partnership was launched at the United Nations Transforming Education Summit in 2022.
On the same day, the COP31 Presidency and the Greening Education Partnership co-hosted a High-Level Ministerial Meeting, co-organised by Türkiye’s Ministry of National Education, UNESCO and the OECD. The morning session focused on country experiences with climate-friendly schools and teacher training, while the afternoon session explored climate literacy as a measurable learning outcome, including in relation to PISA 2029, and launched the partnership’s Monitoring and Evaluation Working Group.
The meeting also advanced discussions on the next phase of the partnership, known as GEP 2.0, with a stronger focus on country-level implementation and regional cooperation. Outcomes from Antalya will feed into the wider Education for Sustainable Development agenda and build momentum towards UNESCO’s World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development, scheduled for 13–15 January 2027 in Nairobi, Kenya.
Green skills for green jobs
The day’s programme also focused on equipping young people with the skills needed for a changing world. In the session “Green Jobs for a Green Economy: Youth, Finance, and Industrial Decarbonisation”, representatives from finance, industry and international organisations explored how climate finance, green skills development and industrial transformation can work together to create opportunities for young people while supporting a just and sustainable transition.
The discussions focused on practical pathways to help young people access emerging green jobs and contribute to resilient, low-carbon economies. The issue matters because climate change is already disrupting education: according to UNICEF and Dalberg research from 2026, climate disruptions affected learning for around 130 million children across Eastern and Southern Africa between 2005 and 2024.
Young negotiators inside the talks
Young people are not only speaking at side events — they are increasingly inside the negotiations themselves. The Climate Youth Negotiator Programme, supported by the British Council, trained 263 young people from 79 countries in 2026 to negotiate as part of their country delegations at COP31, following in-person training at the Youth Negotiators Academy during the Conference of Youth (COY21) in Antalya from 5 to 7 November.
Young voices are also shaping the substance of the talks. More than 100,000 children and young people from over 100 countries contributed to the Global Youth Statement, which was officially launched at COP31 on 12 November and calls for stronger climate action and a meaningful voice for young people in negotiations. UN News reported from Antalya that the statement includes the story of a young climate advocate from Nepal whose education was disrupted by floods, and Colombian activist Francisco Vera, who began attending climate summits at the age of 11.
Separately, Global Youth Ambassadors from 12 countries published a Youth Declaration with eight demands, including making young people partners in climate decisions, protecting education and health services, funding youth-led solutions and giving girls and young women access to green skills and jobs.
Key Facts
- 14 November 2026 was Children, Youth, Education and Skills Day at COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye.
- Children and young people presented a Children’s Call to Action on Climate, created through a youth-led process at COP31.
- UNESCO’s Greening Education Partnership now has 100 member countries and more than 2,000 partner organisations; Türkiye is the 100th member.
- A High-Level Ministerial Meeting on 14 November launched the partnership’s Monitoring and Evaluation Working Group and discussed climate literacy as a measurable outcome, including in PISA 2029.
- The Climate Youth Negotiator Programme trained 263 young people from 79 countries to negotiate as part of national delegations at COP31.
- More than 100,000 children and young people from over 100 countries contributed to the Global Youth Statement launched at COP31.
What happens next
COP31 continues in Antalya until 20 November, and the demands presented on Youth Day will now be tested against the negotiations. Young delegates are seeking formal recognition in the official COP31 outcome text — a goal that depends on whether governments carry the day’s messages from the pavilions into the negotiating rooms. For now, the day showed that the youngest generation is no longer waiting outside the process: it is writing its own demands, training its own negotiators and asking to be counted as a partner in the decisions that will shape its future.
