Youth4Climate (Y4C) supports the implementation of youth-led and youth-inclusive solutions to environmental and climate challenges, both financially and through capacity development, for a more innovative and inclusive impact on the ground.

It brings together existing and new online and offline resources, tools, capacities, partnerships, networks, and movements designed by and for youth, with a strong focus on the implementation of solutions, for a more sustained impact on climate on the ground. It aims to foster an inclusive, safe and enabling environment for youth to lead and partner with other stakeholders on climate action.
 

The Youth4Climate initiative was launched in May 2022, co-led by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Government of Italy, and it has its Secretariat at the UNDP Rome Centre for Climate Action and Energy Transition. Youth4Climate has a long strategic vision oriented to:

• Build on the success, lessons learned and recommendations from the 2021 Youth4Climate Manifesto adopted at the first “Youth4Climate: Driving Ambition” Summit in Milan, convening an annual flagship event to recognise and support youth-led action on an international stage.

• Support and boost youth-led and youth-inclusive climate action on the ground, by strengthening the identification and promotion of concrete and innovative youth-led solutions and by nurturing a vibrant ecosystem for youth in climate action at all levels.

• Sustain meaningful and long-term engagement with and for youth, in the context of climate action, by making possible the generation and exchange of knowledge, opportunities, experiences, and resources in a new global virtual space.

The Youth4Climate initiative works to achieve its goals through a range of actions. 

The Youth4Climate Call for Solutions is an innovation challenge that aims to support the work of young people and youth-led organizations in tackling climate change through funding and mentorship support. The first Youth4Climate Call for Solutions sourced more than 1,100 youth-led solutions from more than 120 countries. In 2023, 50 projects across 39 countries were allocated resources to power their vision. A second call in 2024 brought the number of awarded youth-led projects to a total of 100 initiatives across 52 countries, with USD 2.5 million in funds disbursed to support these 100 youth-led initiatives globally. In 2025, a  new cohort has been selected bringing the total number of projects to 150 across 59 countries, supported by an envelope of USD 4 million.

In parallel, the Youth4Climate engagement platform provides a conduit for discussions and knowledge sharing on climate issues and solutions for young people. The platform currently has over 30,000 members from around the world who can use it to access innovative and co-shaped training programmes, webinars and networking opportunities.