Pathway to NDC 3.0: Why the Next Move Belongs to Young People

Belarus is edging into a decisive phase of its climate journey. As the country finalizes its third Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0) under the Paris Agreement, several developments signal a significant shift: young people are moving from the periphery to the core of climate decision-making. This transition is being deliberately fostered with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through climate education, open dialogue, and meaningful participation in climate policy.

October 16, 2025

Two people hug; teal-shirted person with a child in a blue floral headband, warm background lights. — Photo: UNDP Belarus

NDC 3.0: A critical window for climate action

Ten years into the Paris Agreement, the world has made undeniable progress. Projected global temperature rise has fallen from around 5°C to 2.7°C — a remarkable shift that shows climate action is working. Yet, the harsh truth remains: this trajectory is far from safe. Every fraction of a degree above 1.5°C will cause deep, irreversible damage to people and nature.

In 2025, countries are due to submit the third round of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), setting out renewed commitments to cutting emissions. This new phase, known as NDC 3.0, represents what climate experts describe as the last opportunity to lock in meaningful action before 2030.

In Belarus, this process is expected to lead to more ambitious targets: a 47% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared with 1990 levels, with an unconditional target of 42%, including land use, land-use change and forestry.

However, ambition on paper is only as strong as the commitment behind it. Achieving these goals demands coherent policy across economic sectors and broad public buy-in. To be credible, climate pledges must be co-created with those who will live with the outcome — young people.

From pledge to impact

In Belarus, UNDP’s flagship initiative, the Global Climate Promise is helping shape NDC 3.0. UNDP’s approach, consistent across 140 countries, is clear: for NDCs to work, youth must be involved in their design, delivery and review.

This means recognizing young people not as passive recipients but vital agents of change and strategic partners in raising climate ambition and ensuring accountability.

It also ensures that capacity building becomes more than a box to tick. By engaging young people in climate science training and policy consultations, UNDP helps develop the green skills that turn interest into expertise and action.

Belarus’ experience offers a glimpse of what this looks like in practice: a generation ready to transform climate pledges into tangible impact.

Youth voices for NDC 3.0

This past May, the first national climate forum gathered more than 100 young Belarusians, educators and experts to discuss the future of the country's climate agenda. Titled Youth Climate Voices for NDC 3.0, the event aimed to channel young people’s ideas directly into the country’s next NDC. It marked a significant shift in Belarus’ approach from a top-down model to a more inclusive process.

The participants understood their role clearly. As one remarked, “We will live with the consequences of today's climate decisions. It's only logical that we should have a voice in making them."

The Forum focused on generating concrete proposals. During a thematic session on education and climate, young people advocated for expanded environmental curricula, wider use of UNDP’s Climate Box materials in classrooms, and stronger support for youth-led sustainability projects — a call for tools, not promises. Some considered future careers in environmental science, policy, and green technology, others proposed a national platform for knowledge sharing and collaborative research.

Climate literacy starts early

In June, around 300 children from across the country expressed their visions for climate solutions through art. On the surface, the UNDP-supported competition, Creativity for Climate, for a Sustainable World, was about drawings and stories. In substance, it was an exercise in climate literacy and shaping values. Participants as young as six articulated the climate threats they perceive and the future they want, translating scientific concepts into powerful narratives.

Held around the World Environment Day, the competition served a dual purpose: it equipped young people with the language and conceptual understanding for climate advocacy, while also showcasing the depth of environmental concern among Belarusian youth to policymakers.

Dialogue for change

Once children and teenagers connect climate risk to everyday life, they become influential messengers in their families and communities. That social leverage matters when a country is weighing the trade-offs of decarbonization.

This was evident during the 18th Republican Ecological Forum in August, where young people were at the center of the agenda — from high-level plenary sessions to thematic workshops.

Through interactive masterclasses, volunteers and SDG Youth Ambassadors demonstrated practical climate tools, engaging both peers and adults. By giving young people a platform to speak, teach, and collaborate, the forum highlighted their role not just as future stakeholders, but as active participants today.

Climate knowledge: Starting with educators

From explaining complex concepts to guiding youth-led initiatives, teachers play a central role in bridging climate science and action. In the effort to bring climate awareness into every classroom, UNDP begins with educators.

At the recent seminar, Climate of the Future: Education for Sustainable Development, 30 educators from across Belarus deepened their understanding of the scientific, economic and social dimensions of climate change. They explored its impacts and the adaptation pathways, while simultaneously gaining hands-on tools to lead informed conversations on climate.

From observing to co-creating

The thread running through these events is straightforward: when young people are treated as partners, climate governance gets better — more creative, equitable, and effective. Belarus' recent initiatives are forming an emerging framework for its enhanced climate governance:

A culture that sustains ambition: Creative programmes that normalize climate action, giving the next generation both vocabulary and agency.
Purposeful participation: National platforms where youth proposals are integrated into policy drafting.
Skills for the transition: Training that links motivation to industries where young professionals can shape outcomes.

Two students examine specimens with microscopes at a bright lab with teal cabinetry. — Photo: UNDP Belarus

The next move is implementation. With NDC 3.0 taking shape, Belarus has an opportunity to evolve youth engagement from isolated events into established institutional practices. When young people are granted meaningful opportunities to influence policy, they naturally step into leadership roles. In a nation preparing for its next generation of climate commitments, this leadership is more vital than ever.