Young climate leaders, researchers, diplomats and policymakers gathered at Middle East Technical University (METU) on 14 September at “COPilot the Future: Youth Summit in the Lead-up to COP31”, organised by METU CLIMATE in collaboration with the COP31 Presidency and the United Nations in Türkiye.
Ahead of the upcoming COP31 in Antalya, the Youth Summit created a space for young people to bring their climate-related priorities to the table. The focus was on how youth can actively steer climate decision-making and implementation, and how their perspectives can feed into the COP31 process.
“Young people need to co-pilot the future”
The event opened with a strong call for meaningful youth participation in climate decision-making. In his opening remarks, METU Vice-Rector Prof. Ender Ciğeroğlu emphasised that institutions should not speak on behalf of young people, but should create the platforms through which the youth can speak for themselves and contribute to decision-making.
Betül Bitir Soylu, PhD researcher and Climate Envoy at METU, likewise, emphasized that the discussion around COP31 needs to look beyond technical solutions to encompass the core values of peace, equality, and human rights.
“COP31 is about more than just identifying technical solutions. It is about the core values the United Nations builds upon: peace, equality, and human rights.”
COP31 Presidency Youth Climate Champion Sally Higgins described COP31 as an opportunity to recognise young people as partners in delivering climate action at scale, highlighting the need to involve young people in implementation from the outset. The same idea was reflected in the words of Dr. Kilaparti Ramakrishna, who described youth not as passive recipients of climate decisions, but as those who will help put those decisions into practice.
“Young people are not passive beneficiaries of climate decisions made today; they are the critical co-pilots executing action on the ground.”
With this emphasis, the Youth Summit moved from the question of mere representation to the practical challenge of creating channels for meaningful youth contribution to decision-making. As Ms. Özlem Aksoy, Coordinator at COP31 Presidency Office, put it, “We are building bridges and creating the channels for every voice to be heard… to shape pathways that can open new possibilities for the decades ahead.” For the United Nations in Türkiye, this aspiration means creating space for young people to speak in their own voice. Dr. Babatunde Ahonsi, UN Türkiye Resident Coordinator, captured this approach clearly:
“Tomorrow starts now. We do not join youth to speak for them; we join to ensure their voices are heard loud and clear.”
A key part of the Summit focused on the Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystems (WEFE) Nexus, the key areas where climate impacts are deeply interconnected. Moderated by Prof. Dr. Barış Salihoğlu, Director of the METU Institute of Marine Sciences and METU CLIMATE, the panel brought together experts from METU, GÜNAM, UNICEF and the World Food Programme (WFP). Discussions explored integrated approaches to strengthen resilience against interconnected climate risks and highlighted technological advances such as agrivoltaic systems.
The highlight of the Summit was the Interactive Dialogue on Youth Access and Action at COP31, providing participants with an opportunity to share their experiences, priorities and expectations. Participants joining both in person and online contributed through digital participation tools, allowing their input to be collated into a Youth Communiqué as the core output of the Summit.
The participatory process to draft the Communiqué was complemented with contributions from youth delegates including Sally Higgins (COP31 Presidency Youth Climate Champion), Özlem Deniz Peri (METU Climate Envoy), and Antoni Soalablai (Pacific Islands Delegate). The Communiqué sets out priorities for COP31, including bolder climate implementation, stronger institutional inclusion of youth delegates and early-career scientists in government delegations, and fairer finance for climate action.
As Türkiye prepares to host COP31 in Antalya, this significant event reflects the ongoing efforts to bring climate science, policy and youth engagement closer together, creating channels through which young voices can directly contribute to climate action.
Watch the full event recordings
