African Youth Dialogue with COP30 and COP31 Presidency Youth Climate Champion - The Youth Print
In this inaugural dialogue of The Youth Print’s African Youth Dialogue Series, held on International Youth Day 2026, the COP30 and COP31 Presidency Youth Climate Champions and African youth leaders examine how youth engagement can move beyond visibility and consultation towards sustained policy influence, implementation and accountability. The dialogue brings together Marcele Oliveira, COP30 Presidency Youth Climate Champion; Sally Higgins, COP31 Presidency Youth Climate Champion; and African youth leaders Vanessa Nakate, Sibusiso Mazomba and Alphonce Munyao Muia, moderated by Ephrata Alemayehu of The Youth Print.
- Date
- 12 August 2026
- Time
- 01:30 – 02:30
- Place
- Zoom
- Access
- See registration details
About the event
While youth engagement has become increasingly visible throughout recent COP processes, opportunities for structured dialogue between successive Presidency Youth Climate Champions and African youth remain limited.
Recognizing the importance of continuity between COP cycles, The Youth Print convened the African Youth Dialogue with the COP30 and COP31 Presidency Youth Climate Champions as an independent policy dialogue to strengthen engagement between African youth and successive COP Presidencies.
Held on International Youth Day, 12 August 2026, the dialogue brought together the COP30 Presidency Youth Climate Champion and the incoming COP31 Presidency Youth Climate Champion from Australia to reflect on lessons from the COP30 cycle, explore priorities for COP31, and identify opportunities to strengthen continuity in African youth engagement across successive COP Presidencies.
Discussions examined how African youth priorities could inform the COP31 agenda, how engagement could be sustained throughout the Presidency cycle, and how lessons, relationships and institutional knowledge could be carried forward to support more consistent youth participation in international climate policy processes.