Locations
Almost a 100 years and still running.
This tram is proof that the best solutions are built to last.
Today, we need the same ambition. Ideas that solve real problems, work in the real world and keep making a difference long after they begin.
We are part of the United Nations system, working on what comes next, with the young people already building it.
Who we are
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the UN’s lead agency on international development. Working in around 170 countries and territories, we partner with countries and communities to reduce poverty and inequality, tackle the climate crisis and advance the Sustainable Development Goals. Inaugurated in 2019 in the framework of the G7, the UNDP Rome Centre for Climate Action and Energy Transition is a global platform for the strategic partnership between UNDP and the Italian ecosystem. We support developing countries in advancing clean energy, climate resilience and climate innovation.
Through our work with governments, project developers, financial institutions and civil society, we help move climate and energy solutions from early concepts towards investment and implementation. We do so by providing technical support across project development, financial structuring, environmental and social assessments, and engagement with public and private financiers. We also support youth-led climate solutions through direct catalytic financing, mentorship and partnerships.
Working through UNDP’s global network and in partnership with the Italian Ministry of Environment and Energy Security, we currently support programmes across more than +70 countries, with a focus on unlocking finance and building stronger pipelines of investable, locally grounded climate solutions.
Behind the UNDP Rome Centre is a young, international and growing team based in Rome, working with governments, financiers, universities, companies and young innovators across continents.
Youth4Climate
Young people around the world are already developing solutions to the climate challenges affecting their communities, but many still lack the funding, knowledge and connections needed to take those ideas further. Youth4Climate was created to help close that gap.
Co-led by the Government of Italy and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Youth4Climate supports young climate innovators through direct funding, capacity development, mentorship, visibility and access to a growing global network.
Since 2023, Youth4Climate has supported 200 youth-led solutions across 69 countries, providing more than USD 5 million in direct support. Beyond funding, the initiative helps young people strengthen their projects, learn from experts and peers, and connect with institutions and partners that can help their solutions grow. Youth4Climate has also gained international recognition, including being highlighted by G7 leaders as a best practice for youth engagement in climate action.
In June 2026, it was among the experiences featured in Ne parliamo con il Presidente. La Repubblica che verrà, the Rai 1 programme marking the 80th anniversary of the Italian Republic through a conversation between young people and President Sergio Mattarella.
Youth4Climate’s journey began here in Milan, at Pre-COP26 in 2021. In 2026, it comes back to where it started.
Through the annual Call for Solutions, selected young innovators receive up to USD 30,000 in direct, flexible funding to implement their projects.
Bootcamps, webinars, peer exchange and one-to-one mentorship with practitioners, to strengthen project design and build the skills to deliver.
Global events, storytelling and an online community that connect young innovators with the institutions, experts and partners who can help their work grow.
This month, 60 innovators from across the world are travelling through Italy, from Milan to Venice, Bologna, Naples and Rome, working on sustainable energy, food and agriculture, oceans, fashion and textiles, architecture for adaptation, and climate, peace and security.
How we work around the world
Ideas only matter when they get built. Most of our work is about closing the distance between a climate plan on paper and a project that is financed and running.
Working with business
Public ambition is key, but alone it does not build infrastructure. Partnerships are essential to unlocking capital. Every grant we spend on technical assistance has one underlying objective: to unlock public and private capital and stimulate investments. We treat private sector engagement not as a single activity, but as a methodology that runs through every stage of our work:
- In procurement, to identify the most qualified companies — those best suited to provide the technology and expertise a project needs.
- In project design trough partnership building, to ensure projects are sustainable from a business standpoint, creating real opportunities for private companies to invest and for beneficiaries to receive that investment.
- In financing, because an infrastructure or finance project with a solid private sector component is more resilient — and therefore better able to attract capital.
To do that we rely very much on academic partners for research and innovation and advisory support. To make this real, both in Rome and across our country offices around the world, we conduct a rigorous assessment of the private sector component and opportunities of every project, and we carry out consultation and engagement at different levels — including through partners — so that this approach is reflected throughout our implementation and delivery.
Got an idea that should be on board?
Whether you are a company, a foundation, a university or a young innovator, tell us what you are working on.
YOUTH4CLIMATE
UNDP Rome Centre for Climate Action and Energy Transition
Via Guido Baccelli 86, Rome - info.romecentre@undp.org undp.org/romecentre
