Young delegates call for social justice, stronger climate finance and intergenerational equity, urging the EU to protect vulnerable communities and expand youth representation in global climate negotiations.
Commissioner Hoekstra hears calls for social justice, climate finance and stronger youth participation before Antalya talks.
European Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra has pledged to support greater youth involvement in climate policymaking after meeting 16 young people from across Europe to discuss the bloc’s priorities ahead of the UN climate conference, COP31, in Antalya, Türkiye, from November 9 to 20.
The Youth Policy Dialogue took place on October 1. It was organised by the European Commission, the European Economic and Social Committee, the European Youth Forum and Generation Climate Europe.
Ahead of the meeting, the participants prepared a joint position paper covering five areas: climate change mitigation and the Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels (TAFF) Initiative, adaptation, just transition, climate finance and Action for Climate Empowerment, including youth participation.
The young delegates urged the EU to build social justice into its climate policies to protect vulnerable communities during the transition. They also stressed intergenerational equity, saying young people will bear the climate debt left by earlier generations, and called for a greater youth presence at COPs.
“Social justice is an opportunity to redefine our society,” said Helena Voorhuis, Dutch Youth Delegate to COP31.
The participants also questioned the Commissioner about the difficult geopolitical climate and what it means for climate ambition, as well as the growing use of artificial intelligence and its impact on energy demand. Some stressed that climate action cannot succeed without protecting nature.
Hoekstra said the EU must generate substantial clean energy to meet rising demand while moving away from fossil fuels. On international climate finance, he stressed the EU’s major role in supporting countries that are most affected by climate change but least responsible for it.
“The transition is not only about protecting people but giving them opportunities to participate in the change,” he said.
The Commissioner backed the participants’ call for greater youth involvement in climate policy and said young people can be leaders and catalysts for climate action in their own communities.
After the meeting, the participants discussed the upcoming negotiations with Diana Acconcia, Director for International Affairs and Climate Finance at the Commission’s Directorate-General for Climate Action.
The dialogue comes weeks before COP31, where youth groups and vulnerable countries are expected to press developed economies for stronger action on finance and a fair transition.
