EESC Youth Delegate to COP

In its own-initiative opinion Towards structured youth engagement on climate and sustainability in the EU decision-making process, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) called for:

“the inclusion of a youth delegate in the official EU delegation to UNFCCC COP meetings. In addition, the EESC proposes including a youth delegate as an additional member of the EESC delegation which holds observer status at such events.”

The EESC included a youth delegate in its delegation to UNFCCC COP meetings for the first time in 2021 and is committed to repeating this successful experience in the coming years. The youth delegate has a two-year mandate and, at the end of each mandate, a transparent and open selection process is carried out by the EESC, together with the European Youth Forum (YFJ) and Generation Climate Europe (GCE), to designate the new delegate.

Given the urgency of tackling the climate and biodiversity crisis together and the need to increase synergies between the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the scope of the EESC's Ad Hoc Group on COP and of the EESC's Youth Delegate to COP programme will also include work related to the CBD process.

Participation

Depending on the date and location of the UNFCCC and CBD COPs, the youth delegate will have the opportunity to participate in the EESC's missions to COPs. The missions last around five days and usually takes place during the second week of the Conference.

Before the mission

Before the mission, the youth delegate will actively participate in the strategic work of the EESC's Ad Hoc Group on COP and in the preparatory work of the delegation.

The youth delegate will also meet regularly and be supported by a Youth Task Force led by the European Youth Forum (YFJ) and Generation Climate Europe (GCE) in cooperation with the Official Children and Youth Constituency of the UNFCCC (YOUNGO) and the Global Youth Biodiversity Network (GYBN), which is also open to other youth organisations. They will work together to bring the youth perspective to the EESC's contribution to UNFCCC and CBD processes.

During the mission

During the mission, the youth delegate will be a full member of the EESC's delegation, contributing to EESC's side-events and having the opportunity to participate in all the events attended by the other members of the delegation. They will also have bilateral meetings with different CSOs, youth organisations and other youth delegates.

After the mission

After each mission, the youth delegate will participate in the debriefing of the mission with both the EESC' Ad Hoc Group on COP and the Youth Task Force. Follow-up meetings could be organised and the youth delegate will be invited to evaluate their experience. At the end of the two-year mandate, an end-of mandate report will be prepared and the youth delegate will be involved in the promotion of the call for the new youth delegate and in their onboarding.

If, during the two-year mandate, the youth delegate is not able to attend one of the meetings of the EESC's Ad Hoc Group on COP, a member of the Youth Task Force will replace them. If the youth delegate has to drop out of the programme before the end of the two-year mandate, one of the other candidates on the shortlist will be contacted.

In order to support the youth delegate's participation in the missions, the following financial support will be provided:

• reimbursement of travel expenses;
• reimbursement of accommodation expenses;
• daily allowance.  

Selection process

The selection process is undertaken by the EESC in cooperation with the YFJ and GCE.

Can I apply?

As an applicant for the EESC's Youth Delegate to COP programme, I must:

• be between 18 and 30 years old at the time of application;
• be national and resident of one of the Member States of the European Union;
• be involved in a youth organisation at the local, national or EU level;
• have a thorough command of English and, if possible, of an additional EU language;
• be available for two years: around five hours per month for the preparatory work and meetings, in addition to the active participation in the EESC's missions to the COPs, as set out at the beginning of the mandate.

The selection will take into account gender balance, geographical balance and balance between youth organisations to avoid over-representation of some countries and organisations compared to others.

When do I apply?

The selection process takes place every two years and the next one will open in January 2025.

The application period will run from early January to early February.

If your application is shortlisted and you are one of the five final candidates, you will be contacted and invited to an interview. The final results will be published in early March.

How do I apply?

Fill in the online application form, which will soon be available on this page!

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