The UN Climate Conference, known in English as the Conference of Parties (COP), is taking place for the 29th time this year: from 11 to 24 November 2024 in Baku, Azerbaijan.
The UN Climate Conferences cover a wide range of topics, from emissions reduction (mitigation) to climate change adaptation and the financing of losses & damages caused by the climate crisis. At this year's COP29, climate finance will take centre stage, with negotiations on the new climate finance goal (New Collective Quantified Goal).
The Federal Ministry for Climate Protection, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology (BMK) sends young people to the COP every year to amplify the voice of the youngest generation on the ground. This year, we're again looking for two responsible young people to travel to the COP as youth delegates. The junior/senior programme is being run in this format for the fifth time: as a team of six, you'll attend the 29th UN Climate Conference. You'll be supported by the two senior youth delegates and two communications experts who'll help with external communications. At the following COP30, taking place in Brazil in November 2025, you'll take on the role of seniors and become mentors to the new junior delegates.
At the World Climate Conference, you'll follow the climate negotiations between UN member states live. You'll communicate insights from the COP as well as our generation's demands to people in Austria through press releases, interviews with radio, television and print media, and via social media. At the same time, you'll do your best at the COP to ensure that young people's demands for ambitious climate policy are taken into account in the negotiations. Among other things, there'll be opportunities to represent existing youth demands in conversations with decision-makers and to develop lists of demands in international working groups, which are then communicated to negotiators and politicians through media work and personal discussions.
At the time of applying, you don't need to have an in-depth knowledge of the UN negotiation process — part of the youth delegate programme is acquiring this knowledge through research, conversations with negotiators and experts, and in collaboration with the senior youth delegates. Worth mentioning upfront: this is one of the reasons why the youth delegate programme is very time-intensive. You'll also participate in the LCOY Austria (Local Conference of Youth Austria), engage with young people from Austria, attend climate policy events, and get to know the Austrian delegation.
The Austrian youth delegate programme is largely funded by the Federal Ministry for Climate Protection (BMK).
You can apply for the youth delegate programme until 26 February 2024. (We accept applications until 6 am the following day.)
You can find all the details at: climatesaustria.org
