We are currently in the process of preparing for COY16 in Glasgow in October 2021. Pre-registration has now opened, so you can be sure to be notified when the full registration opens too. Any updates regarding the event details and commencing of the registration process will be announced on our Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter. Follow us there to get the latest news.

COY16 is organised entirely by volunteers. If you would like to help, please take a look at our Volunteer with us page. We will post openings and information on induction calls there.

No, it is not. In essence, the COP is organised as a partnership, where the main conference is organised by the UK while Italy organises a pre-COP. One of the flagship events of this pre-COP is a youth summit. This event is titled Youth4Climate: Driving Ambition and is hosted by the Italian Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea, in collaboration with Connect4Climate and UN’s Youth envoy. Since the event was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they have been organising monthly online events, which resulted in a series of webinars. You can find these and get involved through their website. The summit itself is now set to take place on 28-30 September 2021.

 

COY on the other hand is a YOUNGO event. This means it is not organised by government agencies but by a global collection of young volunteers. However, nothing is stopping you from making your voice heard in both places — in fact, some YOUNGO members are helping with the Youth Summit too.

There are simply too many acronyms to explain — even this super long Wikipedia page is not complete. However, here are some of the most important ones:

 

UN  – United Nations, an intergovernmental organisation. Almost all countries in the world are a member of the UN. The UN’s mission is, among other things, to maintain international peace and security, as well as to develop friendly relations among nations and to solve problems through international cooperation.

 

UNFCCC – United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, an international treaty. In essence, the UNFCCC, as the name suggests, provides a framework for negotiating the solution to climate change. The Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement are both examples of international agreements that were made under the UNFCCC. The Convention also created a secretariat to help the countries with these negotiations. Sometimes, people who say “the UNFCCC” actually mean this secretariat.

 

COP and COP26 – the (26th) Conference of the Parties, the largest international political conference on climate change. Countries which signed the UNFCCC are known as “Parties to the Convention.” These countries meet regularly to discuss their progress and negotiate new solutions. COP is the largest of these meetings and happens about once per year. In 2021, the 26th COP will be held in Glasgow, Scotland.

 

YOUNGO – youth NGOs, the UNFCCC Youth constituency. Everybody who is not part of the government, but still plays a part in the politics is known as “civil society.” Under the UNFCCC, civil society is represented by 9 constituencies. YOUNGO is one of them and represents the voices of young people. Members of YOUNGO go to the COP. Although they cannot sign any of the agreements, they can give so-called interventions, which are short statements or speeches during the negotiations. They also play a central role in organising youth activism around COP.

 

COY and COY16 – the (16th) Conference of Youth. An official YOUNGO event in preparation for the COP where young people from all over the world come together to help tackle climate change. The organisation of this event is done entirely by young people too. The 16th version of COY will take place towards the end of 2021.