The Local Conference of Youth (LCOY) is an event under the umbrella of YOUNGO, the official youth constituency of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Its aims are to be a space to boost youth climate action locally and create input into international conferences. It represents a national version of the International Conference of Youth (COY), which takes place immediately before the Conference of Parties (COP), the annual UN Climate Change Conference. These conferences serve as dynamic spaces where young people from diverse backgrounds come together to exchange ideas, share experiences, discuss pressing challenges, and collaboratively develop innovative solutions to combat the multifaceted issue of climate change. At LCOYs, young people come together to shape the future and develop ideas for a sustainable, greener world. Each LCOY takes its collected results to the COY.
While LCOYs are shaped and formed by the local teams that organise them they all share some common features. After many conversations with and among past LCOY teams, the following ten principles of LCOYs could be distilled. They define what LCOYs are while leaving enough room to local teams to adapt to their local circumstances.
Developing positions of youth on issues related to climate change that are relevant in the respective country or region. Those positions are meant to be fed into the Global COY as to be then reflected as a part of YOUNGO inputs to the annual COPs and are a basis to spread perspectives and ideas of youth around the globe.<br><br>Providing appropriate space and programming to enable participants’ effective preparation and engagement at the COP and gain further knowledge about the UNFCCC.<br><br>This is what distinguishes a LCOY from other youth-led (climate) conferences and is intended to be the primary objective of an LCOY.
Read MoreSharing knowledge and experiences regarding further youth-relevant topics (e.g., social justice issues, Sustainable Development Goals) which intersect with climate change.<br><br>Capacity building and raising awareness on climate change, its causes and impacts and ways to advocate for related interests of young people among national/regional youth.<br><br>Connecting youth (organisations) nationally and regionally.<br><br>Developing new and strengthening existing climate and sustainability related projects, campaigns and action plans.
Read MoreFostering communication between LCOYs for example by organizing participant exchanges between different LCOYs or virtual participation during the event, if possible;<br><br>Engaging in collaborative projects, joint campaigns, action plans;<br><br>Providing mutual support to co-LCOY organizers by offering help and making information and best practices available.
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